


Here is Happiness

by TomasNostradamus



Series: Listen! I will be honest with you! [4]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 109,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24784297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomasNostradamus/pseuds/TomasNostradamus
Summary: This story follows Anne and Gilbert's relationship during the summer before heading off to college including the fair and the examinations. (This is the latest in a series of stories. Read the preceding three stories first if you want this to make any sense.)
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: Listen! I will be honest with you! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1689598
Comments: 429
Kudos: 411





	1. A Letter of Good Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here is is, the latest installment in this series of stories. Updates will not come super quickly and I apologize for that, but it can't be helped unless I put off posting it all together and I don't feel like doing that. 
> 
> If you haven't read the other stories in this series, you will probably be a bit lost, so I recommend reading those first.
> 
> I'll admit the first chapter is a bit of a slow start, but it'll pick up, I'm almost certain.

Anne was leaning back against a tree as Gilbert laughed at her, “It wasn’t my fault! The cordial was the same color as the currant wine, and neither was labeled. How was I to know the difference? And then after tasting it, oh my goodness, Gilbert, it was so delicious. I didn’t even want to question it; I just wanted to keep drinking it! I think we were both three sheets to the wind before I realized that I had forgotten to serve the tea.”

Gilbert, who had been lying on his side, propped up on his elbow, fell to his back and continued laughing.

“And then Mrs. Barry found us in Marilla’s room singing at the top of our lungs and trying on her corsets and dresses! Which is apparently a terribly improper thing to do. So **that** is how Diana Barry was ripped out of my life.”

“I don’t understand though, it wasn’t long before you two were inseparable again. What happened? Did she just forgive you?”

“No; not in the slightest. Minnie May came down ill and I saved her life.” Anne took a bite of her apple and leaned her head back against the tree, closing her eyes.

“You’re just going to leave it at that? No explanation? Just ‘I’m Anne, I can do anything. I’m a child who goes around putting out house fires and saving lives.’”

“Does that really surprise you?”

“Yes, you always surprise me!” he laughed, “How did I not hear about that?”

“You were… busy, Gilbert,” she said, suddenly subdued, “Your dad died a few days later.”

“I see,” he said evenly, suddenly curious as to what else he missed at that time.

She continued, “Minnie May’s miraculous recovery wasn’t exactly considered an appropriate topic of conversation considering the devastating circumstances. William and Eliza were grateful, obviously, and are to this day, but we all understood why it couldn’t be more widely discussed and celebrated. It just wasn’t a good time.”

“Anne!? Anne!” Marilla rushed out of the house, moving as quickly as she could to the tree Gilbert and Anne were eating under. “Anne, read this, read this right now. It arrived yesterday, but I didn’t get around to opening it until just now.”

Anne was concerned at Marilla’s urgency but comforted by the hope and encouragement in her eyes. She took the letter from her and read:

_Dear Ms. Cuthbert,_

_I regret to inform you that Mrs. Thomas has passed away. I came across your letter among her possessions while cleaning out her house, or rather our house. My name is Horace Thomas and Joanna was my mother. I remember Anne, though I never knew her well. I was heading off to college just after she arrived at our house. I don’t remember much, but she was a happy baby with big, beautiful eyes and she never stopped babbling. I thought it was the most wonderful sound; she provided music in a house filled with shouting and despair._

_I must confess now that I have committed a crime against Anne, though I assure you I did it with the best intentions. Being only 17 or so when this occurred I must admit I had no idea how I was going to complete what I set out to do. Frankly, I think I had assumed Anne would be with us until she came of age and I could just deal with it then, but I came back from college that next summer and Anne was gone. I was at a loss for how to go about contacting her. I confess that when I read your letter I wept. I wept tears of joy at the chance to right this wrong. I wept in relief to hear that Anne is well, and has found a family who loves her enough to help her on her quest._

_You’ll notice that I included a key in this letter. It will open a safety deposit box at the National Bank in Bolingbroke. I have discussed the matter with the manager there, who is a friend of mine. I told him to expect Anne to come sometime before September. I hope that will give you enough time to make arrangements. I don’t want to mislead you; it contains no money, but I think Anne will find true value in its contents. She simply needs to state the name given to her at birth and the names of her parents as Walter Shirley and Bertha Willis. For security reasons, I have informed the manager of Anne’s vivid hair color, which I assume and hope she has maintained all these years- how beautiful it was! She and she alone will be able to gain access to the contents of the box. If for some reason this task is insurmountable, please have Anne write to me and we will make other arrangements._

_My apologies for being vague, but I think that after all this time, Anne might be interested in a pleasant surprise. Maybe I can redeem the Thomas family, if only a little bit._

_Sincerely,  
Horace Thomas_

Anne was silent, overwhelmed by the news. She looked from Marilla to Gilbert and back again with wide eyes, completely flabbergasted. She quickly pushed the letter into Gilbert’s hands so he could read it and stood up to speak with Marilla.

“Anne?” Marilla asked timidly, “How would you like to proceed?”

She was suddenly trembling, “I would like to go to Bolingbroke. Right now.”

“Now just wait a minute and think this through. The bank won’t even be open until tomorrow.”

“But I have school tomorrow Marilla! I can’t miss school with the exams coming up!”

She tried to remain calm in hopes that it would soothe Anne, “I think it would be okay for you to miss just one day of school, don’t you? I doubt very much that you will be able to concentrate until you know what’s been left for you?”

“You’re right. Until I know what Mr. Thomas has left for me, I certainly won’t be able to think of anything else. Ummm,” she said, formulating a plan, “We can travel to Charlottetown this evening, and stay with Aunt Jo, she has said on more than one occasion that I should feel free to stop by whenever I want and I know she isn’t at Diana’s right now which means she is most definitely in Charlottetown. Then we can take the ferry tomorrow morning with plenty of time to complete the errand and get back to Avonlea by nightfall.”

Marilla raised her eyebrows, “Excuse me, we?”

“Not you and me, we. Gilbert can come with me. I don’t believe I need an escort, but I would like him to come with me, if that’s permissible.”

“I think that would make me feel a bit better, honestly, even considering your relationship. Gilbert, can you go with Anne?”

Having read the letter, he stood to respond. “I’d love to. I’ll run home and pack a bag and let Sebastian know what’s going on. I’ll be back quick as I can on Midnight and we can ride to the station. If we hurry, we should be able to catch the last train.” He kissed Anne’s cheek and started jogging toward his house. Anne couldn’t help that her gaze lingered on him a bit longer that it probably should have. She also couldn’t help that her gaze on him fell a little further south than it used to as she watched him fade into the distance.

Marilla missed none of it. “Anne, you could at least **try** to not leer at him right in front of me. Have you no shame?”

Anne laughed outright, “No, I don’t, he’s so pretty!”

“Anne! Please!”

“What Marilla? Have you seen him? He’s just perfect.”

“Yes I’ve seen him. I’ve seen him over here nearly every day for the last two months, I’ve seen him stare longingly at you for years before that and perhaps most importantly I’ve seen him as a naked three year old running through the orchard chasing a bunny. My apologies for not being as enamored with him as you are.”

Anne giggled at the thought of baby Gilbert. “Maybe that’s for the best. Marilla, I didn’t know it was possible to love someone like this. In a romantic way I mean. I really didn’t think I would ever have the capacity to feel this much.”

“You underestimate yourself, Anne. You experience everything more deeply than anyone I know, including love. It only seems appropriate that you would feel greatly for someone as wonderful as Gilbert,” she paused before issuing her warning, “That being said, you will need to follow conventional rules of propriety on this trip, which means, as far as the world is concerned, you are a young lady being escorted by her neighbor to the mainland. I’ve noticed you have been getting a bit reckless regarding your behavior.”

“We’ve been perfectly responsible Marilla.”

“Rachel Lynde has noticed you getting a bit reckless. She’s voiced some concern.”

“That woman’s standards are unrealistic.”

Marilla took a deep breath and gave it her last and final effort, “Muriel and Sebastian have both voiced concern over your recent behavior also, Anne. And Matthew is starting to walk louder to announce his presence just so he doesn’t stumble upon you two in the barn again.”

“We were just holding hands and reading a book!” Had Matthew arrived even a few minutes earlier that statement would have been a blatant lie.

“You were lying practically on top of him in a pile of hay with his arms wrapped around you! Nary a sliver of space between the two! Reading a book and holding hands indeed, that’s just the thin edge of the wedge and you know it. The both of you need to be more careful. Keep your hands **off** of him. And tell him to do the same or you will both find yourselves in trouble.”

 _Yeah, I’m not going to do that._ “We will be more careful Marilla. I’m sorry to have caused you concern. I’ll go pack my bag.”

\---

Gilbert was back within the hour on his horse. Anne watched for him while waiting on Belle by the gate to Green Gables. When she saw the pair canter into view, she yelled back, “Goodbye Matthew and Marilla! I love you and I will see you tomorrow night!”

As they headed to Bright River, Anne couldn’t help but smile as she raced Gilbert on their horses. She was lighter, but Gilbert was the more experienced rider by far and it showed, though it took him a while to figure out they were actually racing.

“Catch me if you can Blythe!”

“Hey! That was **not** fair and square Cuthbert! You could have at least informed me we were racing!” he yelled and caught up to her quickly, “You’re a filthy cheater, Anne!”

“I rarely cheat and I am **certainly** not filthy! How dare you!”

“Tell that to the Anne I pulled off the cellar floor that day you got stung by that bee.”

“Shh! Someone is going to hear you! And please, you’re one to talk; you had an actual spider web **and** spider in your hair!”

“And whose fault was that? I bet that spider was living a perfectly peaceful life until you pushed me into that corner.”

“Gilbert Blythe!” she said, astounded he would actually shout that out as they rode across town.

“Anne Shirley!” he mimicked in a high voice, making her laugh.

They continued to poke fun at each other and were both still laughing as they dismounted their horses and ran to the platform, barely making it on board before the train pulled away from the station. They chose seats in the back of a nearly empty car where they had the best chance at some privacy. A few minutes after they settled in, Anne’s mood mellowed, remembering what lay ahead. She leaned back, closed her eyes and tried to take some deep breaths. Gilbert took her hand, boldly chancing a kiss on the back of it before rubbing circles in her palm, something he had quickly learned had a calming effect on her.

“Anne, it’s going to be fine. No matter what you find, or what you don’t find. You are enough, just as you are. I know you want more, and that it will be a comfort to you, and I get it, I do, but you are already so much more than any of us could ever deserve. You are loved by so many people Anne, just as you are, and by no one more than me.”

She raised her head abruptly and looked at him questioningly.

“Come on Anne, that can’t possibly surprise you. I mean it; every word. I always do,” he said as he squeezed her hand.

“I love you Gilbert Blythe.” _To hell with propriety,_ she thought as she rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and they settled in for a quiet ride to Charlottetown, either blissfully unaware or consciously unconcerned that others were watching.

Anne spoke quietly, “Marilla, Rachel, Bash and Miss Stacy are apparently all concerned over our indecorous amorous behavior becoming a bit of a spectacle.”

“So we’re being too affectionate?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

He laughed, “We both know they haven’t actually seen anything beyond flushed cheeks and slightly askew pinafores and suspenders. They assume more than they actually know.”

“Come on Gilbert, they aren’t stupid. Bash has seen way more than that and all of their assumptions are correct and you know it. Bash has been generous with what he has allowed, but even I can see that our behavior is wearing on him. We just need to not appear quite as disheveled and we’ll be fine. And maybe not get carried away when we are supposed to be watching Dellie. That was an embarrassing evening for everyone,” she explained. “After you left today, Marilla explicitly told me to tell you to keep your hands off me.”

Gilbert rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, sorry, that’s not going to happen.”

“Well,” she said smiling up at him, “Can’t say I didn’t try.”

\---

They arrived in Charlottetown at dusk and walked quickly through the city, maintaining proper distance between them. Anne was increasingly anxious to see Cole and Aunt Jo, though slightly nervous about arriving unexpectedly even though she knew she was welcome there.

“I still can’t believe the size of this place,” Gilbert said under his breath as Anne knocked on the door.

“Just wait until you see inside, it is absolutely magnificent.”

The door opened slowly. “Miss Shirley-Cuthbert, how delightful to see you again,” Rollings greeted, ever the professional.

“Rollings!” Anne yelled in greeting and hugged the stalwart man who had grown accustomed to her affection but would never dare reciprocate. “It’s so good to see you! Is Aunt Jo home?”

“I will call for her, please come in and make yourselves comfortable Miss Cuthbert and Mr...”

“Blythe,” Gilbert said removing his hat nervously, “Gilbert Blythe?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Rollings asked as he walked away, leaving them standing in the foyer.

Anne started laughing, looking at a visibly nervous Gilbert. “Gilbert, what is wrong with you?”

“The last time I was this nervous I was leaning in to kiss you for the first time. This place is insane Anne! I have never felt more inapt in my life.”

“It’s just a big house,” she explained, “The people who are here are nearly as wonderful as you, I promise. Calm down and just be yourself. Cole lives here for goodness sake; he’s a farm boy just like you. And stop sweating! Seriously!” she scolded as she took the cloth out of his jacket pocket and wiped his forehead off, “Just pretend you’re at Green Gables.”

“Ah! My dear Anne-girl!” Josephine Barry said as she entered the foyer, embracing Anne tightly. “What a delightful surprise! Tell me, what brings you to Charlottetown?”

She explained the letter that led to their presence there before asking, “So, I’m sorry we are here so unexpectedly, but would it be okay if we stay here tonight so we can accomplish our mission tomorrow?”

“Certainly! You know you are always welcome here and I’m so happy you thought to visit instead of trying to do it all in one day.” She finally turning to Gilbert and said sternly, “Gilbert Blythe.”

“Yes ma’am?” he asked nervously.

She smiled widely. “It is so wonderful to finally meet you,” she said before embracing him as well.

He visibly deflated in relief, “It’s wonderful to meet you to Ms. Barry and thank you so much for accommodating us this evening. I appreciate it more than I can say.”

“Well, can you say Aunt Jo? No beau of Anne is to call me Ms. Barry.”

Gilbert looked at her in surprise.

“Oh yes, dear boy, I am quite aware of your relationship and love for my girl here and I must say I’m impressed, you seem to be quite the suitor. I’ve heard so much about you I believe I’m nearly in love with you myself.”

He shifted uncomfortably, “Uh, thanks?”

“Anne?!”

Anne whipped around, “Cole!” She shouted as she ran to him. He picked her up and spun her in a circle before setting her down and kissing her on the cheek.

“What are you doing here?”

“We needed a place to stay for the night so we can get to Bolingbroke and back to Avonlea tomorrow, I’ll explain everything in a minute.”

“We?”

“Hi Cole,” Gilbert said sourly as he stepped beyond the bottom of the staircase and into view.

“Oh, hi Gilbert! Goodness, look at you all jealous! You look like you’d positively like to murder me right now.”

“Let’s get you two settled,” Aunt Jo interjected, “Cole, can you show Gilbert to the guest room near yours and Anne, you’ll be in the same room as last time. Go get settled and meet me in the parlor for some tea before bed.”

\---

Cole showed Gilbert to his room, leaned against the door and waited while he put down his bag and took off his jacket. He couldn’t help himself from chuckling. “You look exceedingly uncomfortable, Gilbert Blythe.”

“So you use my whole name too?”

“Sorry, habit I picked up from Anne, I can add the John in there if you would like.”

“No thanks, Gilbert is fine. To be honest, I have never been in a house this grand before, I **am** exceedingly uncomfortable.”

“I felt out of place here too at first. I arrived here a poor farm boy and was thrown into the most opulent party I had ever seen. I could have never dreamed of a party of such grandeur. I had absolutely nothing appropriate to wear and I felt completely exposed and on display in the worst way possible.”

“How did you cope?”

“Aunt Jo chooses her companions carefully. She doesn’t associate with people who would judge someone negatively based on how they are dressed or who they keep for company. Her guests came up to me, acknowledged me and accepted me as I was and everything they said to me was only in an attempt to make me feel more comfortable and to encourage me to be my true self. Coming here, meeting Aunt Jo, meeting her friends? It has made all the difference. You may feel poor and out of place in this mansion, but I assure you that your character is the only thing that counts for anything in these walls, and in that regard you should feel most at home.”

“Wow, thank you Cole, that means a lot, especially coming from you. I know how much Anne…” he gulped, trying to be okay with it, “loves you, and I expect that your approval of me means a great deal to her.”

“Just to be clear, I saw jealousy in your eyes earlier and I want you to know that I will never have any romantic notions toward Anne. She’s without doubt the most amazing woman I know, and a kindred spirit to be sure, but it will never go beyond that. You can trust me, and you know you can trust her.”

“Yeah, I know, I just don’t understand how you could not want her. And I’m always going to be a bit resentful that she kissed you first.”

“Oh, Gilbert,” he laughed, “She’s told me all about how she kisses you, do you really want to start this discussion? Because I don’t think the occurrences are at all comparable. Congratulations on the supple tongue and sultry lips by the way, I hear they are quite effective in rendering the loquacious Anne Shirley-Cuthbert speechless.”

Gilbert looked at him skeptically out of the corner of his eye, “You two might be too close.”

“Look, maybe someday when we know each other a bit better we’ll have a longer conversation about it, but for now, just know that I’ve been pulling for you since the beginning. It was always going to be Gilbert and Anne and I’m so glad that she finally came to her senses and that you are everything I expected you to be. You’re a good man Gilbert Blythe, obviously Anne’s opinions of you are biased, but Diana Barry certainly isn’t one to mince words. If you convinced her that you are good enough for Anne, I can hardly argue with her.”

“Right?” Gilbert laughed. “I had no idea what a force she was! Did she tell you about when she demanded I explain what those words meant from that spelling bee right after Anne and I got together? God, I felt like I was being skewered alive!”

“Oh yes, I heard all about that. That was an exceedingly bold move by the way, kudos to you.”

Gilbert nodded, still proud of himself and his performance that day. “Thanks. That was a good day,” he said wistfully before trying to subdue his pride.

“It’s okay to be proud of yourself Gilbert, you’ve earned this happiness. Lord knows you put in the time,” Cole said, “From what I heard, that was quite an eventful week; I see your lip has made a full recovery.”

“Yeah," he laughed nervously and brought his fingers to his lip, "she told you about that?”

“You should probably just assume that she has told me everything.”

“Did she tell you about the cellar?”

“That you spent about an hour passionately… would you call it just kissing? Because that seems an entirely inadequate description. And then split an entire bottle of apple brandy? Yep, she told me,”

“Okay, it was a very small bottle; you make it sound a lot more scandalous than it was. Did she tell you about the barn?”

“That if Matthew would have walked in five minutes earlier he would have had a heart attack and probably died? Yep.”

“Did she tell you about the tree?”

“The giant one you repeatedly press her up against on the way to the school or the one you both climbed with the intention of watching the sunset and instead ended up nearly falling out of after accidently touching her breast for the first time?”

“Son of a bitch,” he said under his breath only to hear Cole chuckle in response, “I swear I did not mean for that to happen. I had absolutely no intention of… fondling her.”

“Gilbert relax; it was barely a graze and you know she liked it.”

He blushed and said, “I know, but it was hardly appropriate the way it happened.” He took a deep breath: he had to know, “Did she tell you about the day at the beach?”

“What day at the beach?” Cole asked, honestly never having been told about the day at the beach.

“Thank God,” he said as he walked out of the room, effectively ending the conversation.

“Gilbert! Wait! What happened at the beach?” he laughed as he chased him through the hall and down the stairs.

\---

“Aunt Jo,” Gilbert said as he entered the parlor, “I really appreciate you letting us stay here, especially with us unable to provide advanced notice. It is incredibly generous of you and I will find a way to make it up to you, I can promise you that.”

“You will do no such thing, though I see Anne didn’t lie about your manners. I have far too much room here and I welcome Anne and any guests she deems worthy into my house at any time. I trust you are taking care of my Anne-girl?”

“I would never presume she needs taking care of ma’am, but I’m treating her the best I know how.”

“Oh, he is an intelligent one indeed,” she said, looking toward Cole. “No wonder Anne has fallen for you.”

“Took her long enough,” Cole chimed in, “Tell me Gilbert, when exactly did you realize you were in love with Anne?”

“Um, it took me a long time to figure out what I was feeling, but looking back, I think part of me knew when I met her in the woods, my first day back at school after travelling with my dad.”

“Part of Anne knew too, Diana and I could tell. I promise I was on your side. I tried to push her your way, help her figure out her feelings, but she is very stubborn. Doesn’t much care to lose an argument.”

Gilbert laughed, “You think?”

“Yeah, you do know that better than most. I’ve got to be honest though- the way she singled you out? I’m surprised you were able to endure that treatment.”

“I didn’t really have a choice,” he admitted, “I’ve been completely captivated by her since that first day.”

“Was it worth it?” Aunt Jo asked.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“My, you are completely gone for that girl,” Aunt Jo chimed in as Anne entered the room.

“Completely,” Gilbert said as he rose to greet her with a kiss on her cheek before sitting down together on the couch.

“I had Lottie pull out the clothes you wore last time you visited, dear one, if you’d like to try that look again,” Aunt Jo offered.

“Thank you Aunt Jo, I was just speaking with her and I very much appreciate the opportunity to dress up a bit again.”

“She’ll be in to help you dress at 7:30 and then Cole can do your hair.”

“It’s longer than it’s ever been, are you sure you’re up to the challenge?” Anne asked her friend.

“The more, the better,” Gilbert and Cole answered in unison, smiling at their shared opinion.

“Anne, you still haven’t explained to me what you’re doing here.” Cole said. After Anne provided the explanation again he asked, “Have you thought at all about what might be waiting for you in the bank?”

“Yes, of course and I can’t fathom what it could possibly be. The letter says it isn’t money, which honestly is a bit of a relief. While some funds for college would be appreciated, it’s hardly as precious as something special they may have owned. Or maybe they had a portrait taken? I just have no idea what to expect, but maybe that’s for the best. No expectations, no disappointment, right?”

Gilbert squeezed her hand seeing that she had great expectations and was trying to talk herself out of it, “It’ll be fine, Anne. I promise. Mr. Thomas seemed really eager for you to receive the contents of the box; I’m sure you’ll be pleased.”

“You’ll both join us for dinner tomorrow night before heading back to Avonlea. I’m curious what you will find and I’d like to learn more about you, Gilbert Blythe. But for now, it’s time to be off to bed.”

“Really, Aunt Jo? It’s a bit early isn’t it?” Cole asked, looking at the clock across the room.

“Yes, but I needed to account for the extra time it will take for Anne to convince Gilbert to visit her room before falling asleep while also accounting for the time required for him to sneak back into his room across the manse.”

Gilbert stuttered, “Aunt Jo, I assure you I had no intentions of visiting Anne in her room this evening.”

“She knows that, Gilbert,” Anne said, rolling her eyes, “That’s why she mentioned the extra time I would need to convince you to do so. Honestly, you need to pay better attention.”

“I expect you to be in your own rooms by ten,” Aunt Jo said as she rose to her feet, “Enjoy the evening and I will see you tomorrow. Breakfast will be served at eight.”

After that conversation, Gilbert didn’t need much convincing and followed Anne to her room. Cole was a little surprised that he was invited in too, but was thankful for the invitation- eager to catch up with his old friend, and get to know his new one. Feigning exhaustion in dramatic fashion at about 9:15, Cole said goodnight with a wink and took his leave, giving the couple plenty of time to themselves before their curfew.


	2. The Most Exhausting Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert discover what has been left for her and meet a new friend and an old friend.
> 
> Meanwhile, back in Avonlea Josie is a bitch and Diana is freaking amazing, as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place under the pretense that they have school year round with breaks at sowing and harvest. I have no idea if that is true, but I need it to be so that Diana is as school.

The calm that Gilbert left her with after he reluctantly vacated her room at 9:59 did not last and she slept fitfully through the night in anticipation of what she would discover at the bank on Monday. When dawn came and she still hadn’t succumbed fully to sleep, she accepted her fate and rose to prepare herself for the day.

At 7:30, Lottie knocked on the door before entering, “Miss Cuthbert, pardon the intrusion, but it’s time to dress. Mr. MacKenzie will be in in ten minutes to do your hair.”

“Yes Lottie, thank you, I’ve already got the corset on, it just needs lacing if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind, that’s why I’m here,” she said cheerfully.

Anne gasped as Lottie laced the corset with astonishing efficiency. “Lottie?” she asked, “Do you ever get used to this or am I just supposed to accept my lot and suffer through this until the end of time?”

Lottie laughed heartily as she began helping Anne with the rest of her ensemble, “Oh Miss Cuthbert, it’s not so bad. You do get used to it, but that doesn’t make it comfortable. More and more women are foregoing their corsets nowadays though, so that is always an option if you choose. I rarely wear one; I find it easier to perform the duties of my job without it on and Ms. Josephine certainly doesn’t care either way.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I had always looked forward to wearing a corset and dressing as a woman. Now I’m wondering what all the fuss was about; though I do enjoy the rest of the ensemble.”

“As you should; you look absolutely stunning. I’ll let Mr. MacKenzie know that you are ready for your hair to be styled.”

\---

“Gilbert Blythe!” Cole said knocking on his door.

“Yeah! I’m up!” he shouted from the other side. Cole very much doubted he was up.

“I’m on my way to do Anne’s hair. Meet us in the foyer before heading into breakfast!”

“I can just meet you in the dining room.”

“You’re going to want to meet us in the foyer. Trust me. You have twenty-five minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

\---

Cole was waiting outside Anne’s room for five minutes before Lottie emerged indicating it was his turn to enter.

“Good morning, Anne!”

“Good morning Cole. Or at least it would be if I had gotten any sleep.” Anne sat down as Cole came up behind her and went to work. He was pleased to find her hair wavy and made quick work of pinning it into place as she recounted her terrible night of sleep.

“Anne, you are stunning,” he said when he was about halfway done. “Has Gilbert seen you dressed like this?”

“Of course not, when would he have gotten the chance?” she laughed.

“I’m just asking. I very much look forward to seeing his reaction,” he said with a hint of mischief.

“I think you’ll be disappointed. Unless we are alone he is sure to be the utmost example of proper decorum,” she said evenly.

Cole laughed, “And does that disappoint you?”

“No,” she giggled, “He’s just doing his part so we don’t get into trouble. Any more than we already have, anyway. Now that I know him so well, I’ve noticed it sometimes looks like he is physically pained when he can’t be near me. I find that I rather enjoy it.”

“He’s always been like that with you, and I agree, it’s adorable. There,” he said as he finished pinning on her hat, “finished.”

“Spectacular work as always. You are so talented that you can even make me look like a respectable young woman.”

“You are the most respectable woman, Anne, and don’t you forget it,” he said looking her up and down. “Gilbert is going to be so glad to have gotten your attention before you head off to Queens.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that dressed like this, everyone else will see what Gilbert and I have seen all along. You will not be short on male attention, I can promise you that.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Like when I didn’t know what I was talking about when I told you Gilbert had a crush on you?” he rolled his eyes, “Anne, I know I’m as correct now as I was then. I know your intentions for a future with Gilbert, but you better prepare yourself to fend off some unsolicited attention.”

“Surely I will just tell them I am courting and they will leave me alone.”

“Sure. Let me know how that goes for you,” Cole said sarcastically, “Gilbert is waiting for you in the foyer; I’ll go tell him you’re on your way.”

\---

“Gilbert, do you have any idea what you’re in for?” Cole asked as he sauntered down the stairs after finishing Anne’s hair.

“What do you mean? How would I know what’s been left for Anne?”

“No, I’m wondering if you’re ready to see Anne as a woman instead of a classmate. You have thought Anne was beautiful from the beginning and seeing her dolled up like this might actually kill you.”

Gilbert laughed, but Cole remained serious. “Am I correct in assuming that you have not seen her in the style of clothing she will be wearing at Queens next year?”

He hesitated before admitting, “You are correct. Why?”

“Prepare yourself,” Cole commanded.

Gilbert was starting to get nervous, “What are you talking about? She’s always beautiful; I can’t imagine that changing her clothes a bit would have that much of an effect.”

“Care to place some money on it?” he said nodding toward the stairs.

Gilbert looked up at her and his jaw dropped in wonder. _What the hell?_ He looked back at Cole with pure panic in his eyes. Cole just raised his eyebrows in response and said, “I told you.”

When Anne arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up at him confidently and asked, “Well, what do you think?”

He looked around and asked, “Where is Aunt Jo?”

“She’s not watching, Gilbert,” Cole answered with a laugh.

Gilbert had his lips on hers so quickly and with such force that Anne would have fallen backward had Gilbert not had his arms wrapped around her. Neither of them minded that Cole was watching and laughing- he already knew too much about their relationship anyway, what was one more kiss? As his hands came to her waist, he couldn’t help but conclude that her modified figure was not at all worth her body being caged within the corset- he missed feeling her. After a minute, Gilbert slowed his advances and broke the kiss.

“So you like it?” she asked.

“Anne, you look beautiful. Absolutely stunning.”

“More beautiful than usual?”

He considered his answer carefully, “No, just different than usual.”

“We should get to breakfast so we can get on our way,” she suggested.

“Go on, I need to talk to Cole for just a minute.”

“Okay?”

“We’ll be right in, I promise.”

Gilbert waited until she was out of earshot to look at Cole and whisper yelled, “What the hell do I do now?”

Cole was still laughing, “What are you talking about?”

“She’s going to go to Queens looking like **that**?! I’m never going to be able to hold on to her! I thought we had a chance before when we were both normal, but now?”

“You’re not wrong; she is obviously going to draw a lot of attention. Have you ever seen anyone so striking?”

“No! That’s the problem!”

“Gilbert it’s not a problem and it’s something you are both going to need to get used to. She will need to learn how to turn down invitations to tea and you will need to work on your jealousy and trust. She’s as committed to this relationship as you are. You both know that this is what you want. She’s turned away unwanted attention before, you should remember that,” he said with a smirk.

“There’s a fault in your logic, Cole. She hit me and I fell in love with her. She can’t just keep going around hitting people! It doesn’t work!”

“That was a special scenario and you know it. Anyone else would have thought she was crazy and run for the hills.”

Gilbert grew even more serious, “Cole, I’m hardly anything special and she is so unique; one of a kind. What if she figures it out? What if she finds someone who is as special as she is?”

 _This is exasperating._ “You’re an idiot Gilbert Blythe,” Cole said as he walked away. “She already has.”  
  
\---

Neither Anne nor Gilbert ate much and conversation at breakfast was slightly strained with Aunt Jo and Cole filling most the silence. Finally Aunt Jo could take it no longer.

“I don’t know what’s come over you two, but this has got to end. Anne, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure if I can go through with it,” she replied quietly.

“As one of the strongest and most courageous people I know, you will go through with it and it will be fine. I sent a telegram to Mr. Williams at the bank and he is expecting you in a few hours. Don’t make me look the fool by not showing up. Gilbert Blythe. What has come over you?”

“Nothing important, ma’am.”

“Nothing reasonable anyway,” Cole added, annoyed.

“Then I suggest you get over it and support Anne instead of wallowing in whatever hole of self-pity you currently find yourself in. That is not why Anne asked you to come with her and certainly not why she chooses to spend her time with you.”

\---

Back in Avonlea, the classroom was silent as the students became aware of two very noticeable absences.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Josie yelled, “Now they are skipping school together?! Am I the only one who sees what’s going on here?”

“Josie Pye, take your seat and I urge you to consider your words carefully before you speak again,” Miss Stacy warned as she entered the room.

“Miss Stacy, Anne and Gilbert never miss school. Now, on a Monday, two weeks before the exams, they are **both** gone. You must admit this is unusual, even if you are somehow able to ignore their recent obvious infatuation with each other.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I spoke with Mr. Lacroix last evening. Anne received a letter requiring her to attend to urgent business in Bolingbroke. She needed an escort and Mr. Cuthbert was unable to assist her. Gilbert Blythe was the next logical choice.”

“Please,” she scoffed, “We all know Gilbert was the only choice.”

Ruby was concerned, “Why did she need to go to Bolingbroke? Is everything okay?”

“They’re probably eloping,” Josie muttered.

“Josie, hold your tongue. You’d do well to learn not to spread rumors. Ruby, she’s fine. I believe she had business at the bank there. That is all I can share with you on the situation, now please get your minds off of Gilbert and Anne. Let’s begin today’s lesson.”

\---

Gilbert found that he quite enjoyed walking around town with Anne on his arm. They kept their distance in Charlottetown where it was likely they could run into someone they know, but once they were on the ferry, they acted every bit the couple that they were. Gilbert was not at all surprised at the attention Anne garnered though she seemed completely oblivious to it all. Gilbert would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved that he was at least able to show that she wasn’t available. Thankfully, the ferry trip and journey to the bank were otherwise uneventful and they soon were face to face with Mr. Williams, the manager of the bank.

“Miss Cuthbert, Mr. Blythe, please follow me,” he said sternly.

They were led to a private office in the back of the bank and waited in silence while the manager retrieved the box. Anne sat on the only chair in front of the table, while Gilbert stood behind her, his hand resting under hers on her shoulder as she tried to steady her breathing.

When he returned, Mr. Williams said “Mr. Thomas would like you to read the letter before opening the package contained within. He indicated you will no longer be requiring the use of the safety deposit box and that you are to be granted privacy while retrieving its contents. You may leave when you are done. If you need anything else, please feel free to come find me out front.”

“Thank you, Mr. Williams,” Gilbert responded while Anne remained silent.

He nodded and left them alone in the room.

“I didn’t know safety deposit boxes this large existed,” she said, observing what sat before her. Anne opened the box with shaking hands and pulled out the letter. She tried to read it, but couldn’t stop shaking so she handed it to Gilbert and said, “Please read this to me.”

Gilbert sat on the table facing her and read aloud:

_“Anne,_

_I wish I could have done more to help you. It has haunted me these 16 years. After the death of your parents, I saw these things sitting in a pile on our table and heard my father mention trying to sell them. I couldn’t stand for it so I took them to college with me to keep them safe for you. I hope you can forgive me. I truly believe that they wouldn’t have made it into your possession any other way. I can’t say how happy I am that you have found a home and parents who love you. Hopefully you find value in these items; I know your parents would have wanted you to have them._

_My deepest apologies for the delay in returning these to you, I promise I did my best,  
Horace Thomas”_

Seeing that Anne remained still, he carefully opened the bundle and said, “There are two things in here, a big thing and a small thing, what would you like first?”

“Big thing.”

Gilbert set aside the small thing and handed her a book: _The Language of Flowers._ She looked intrigued, but slightly confused. _Why would he give me a book?_ She opened it up to find an inscription from her father to her mother and started crying. She didn’t realize it, but until now, her parents hadn’t felt real, they felt like statistics. This simple sentence gave them life, gave them depth. She could imagine them now, and it wouldn’t simply be constructs of her imagination, but ideas rooted in truth. She was a teacher, they loved each other. He was kind and considerate of his wife’s ambitions. ‘June 13, 1883, baby Anne’s first picnic.’ _They loved me. They took me on picnics._ _My name_ **_is_** _spelled with an E._ She had convinced herself she added that on, but her parents had known she wasn’t plain.

Paging through the rest of the book, she finally came to the end and her breath caught, “She was so beautiful,” she cried, pushing the book away so as not to ruin the treasure with her tears. Gilbert took the book and held it up, looking at the portrait in comparison to Anne who was wearing her hair up in a similar style, “God, Anne, you look just like her,” he said, inadvertently causing Anne to cry harder. He set the book down and kneeled down on the ground so he could hug her.

“I know it’s a lot, I’m sorry. What can I do for you, what do you need?”

“This. You.”

They sat there like that until Gilbert’s knees were in pain from the hard floor.

“There’s still the little thing, are you ready?” he asked, knowing what the little thing was and knowing that she wasn’t ready for it.

“Yes,” she said, holding out her hand. Gilbert opened a tiny burlap bag, placed his hand under hers, cupping it to hold it steady and poured the contents into her palm. She caught a glimpse of it, before wrapping her fist around it and further dissolving into tears. Not willing to submit his knees to the hard floor again, he pulled her up to him, sat in the chair and brought her down to sit on his lap where he wrapped her in his embrace. He wondered for a moment what would happen if someone discovered them like this, but couldn’t bring himself to care.

After a few minutes, Anne opened her hand. In her palm, lay a slightly tarnished, delicate gold band with a small silver flower. At the center of the flower was a very small, vibrant clear blue stone. Gilbert, perhaps a little too harshly, snatched the ring out of her hand and said urgently, “Anne, look at me.”

She looked directly at him as he brought the ring up to her face and compared the color to her eyes. It was a perfect match. “How is that possible?”

“What?”

“This stone is the exact color of your eyes, Anne. I assumed this was your mother’s wedding ring, but maybe I was wrong. We should stop at the jeweler and see if he knows anything about rings like this.”

\---

The lunch groups had switched up a bit recently, ever since Anne and Gilbert started eating together. Today, Diana, Ruby, Moody and Josie sat under a tree. Moody disliked eating with Josie, but sitting with Ruby made it worth it… usually.

“Diana, you can’t possibly believe that nothing is going on between those two! They spend more time together than anyone else I know!” Josie practically yelled at her as they ate their lunches.

“They are really good friends Josie. Once they decided to stop fighting, they realized they are pretty much the same person. They are legions ahead of us in school and have shared trauma to boot; it’s no mystery why they like being around each other.”

“So you know nothing about this trip?”

The previous evening, Diana had delivered something to Gilbert’s house regarding the apple export and had been filled in on what was happening. “I know that Anne needed to go to the bank to retrieve something from a safety deposit box. She and Gilbert went to Charlottetown yesterday and stayed with Aunt Jo with intentions of taking the ferry this morning. They will be back to Avonlea late tonight and should be back at school tomorrow.”

“It’s completely inappropriate for them to spend that much time together!”

“Josie, why do you care so much?” Moody spoke up, “What difference does it make to you what they do?”

“Ruby had dibs! And Anne just swooped in and lured him away from her!”

“Anne doesn’t swoop anywhere and Ruby is very happily courting Moody. But even if that wasn't the case, dibs is irrelevant and stupid. It’s time to grow up,” Diana said disgusted.

“Honestly the whole concept of dibs **was** rather juvenile,” Ruby agreed, “Shouldn’t the boy have some say in who he’d like to court? Gilbert never looked at me twice and in retrospect we would have been incredibly ill-matched even if he had.”

“Ugh, you’re even starting to talk like her Ruby. Mark my words she is going to come back with a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly.”

“Josie Pye you take that back!” Diana exploded with rage, “How **dare** you speak so obscenely about two people who are supposed to be your friends! They have never given **any** indication that they would behave so scandalously. Anne is a lady in every sense of the word and Gilbert is the most respectful young man we know! Sorry Moody. You have been spending an awful lot of time with Billy, haven’t you? How would you feel if Anne said that about you?”

She laughed at the idea, “Her word holds no weight against mine. No one would believe it. Not with that reputation.”

“I’m not entirely sure of what reputation you speak because I have not heard anyone speak poorly about Anne in a **very** long time. At church just yesterday I heard Mrs. Andrews of all people speak proudly of how she believed Anne was likely to get the highest exam score in Avonlea, then shared that it was Anne’s words that encouraged Prissy to go to college instead of marrying that terrible Mr. Phillips and she is grateful of that every day. Mrs. Lynde chimed in claiming she was certain Anne was going to take the highest score on the entire island and Mrs. Gillis wondered yet again how a small girl from such a background could have known how to prevent a house from burning down when no one else in this town had the faintest idea. My mother of course was then quick to remind everyone that Anne actually saved Minnie May’s life when she was only thirteen. Tell me Josie, what have you accomplished since Anne’s arrival other than a pretty face, nice dresses and a terrible penchant for gossip?”

Josie rolled her eyes.

“But you are right, Josie. It’s not just you. People are certainly taking notice of Gilbert and Anne’s friendship. Do you know what I heard your mother say? She said it’s a good thing for you that Billy has money because he is **never** going to look at you the way Gilbert looks at Anne.”

Ruby gasped at Diana’s retelling of Mrs. Pye’s scathing words.

“Anne has built up quite a reputation alright, but it is one of honor, devotion, respect and impeccable moral code. Sure she makes occasional mistakes but she works tirelessly to set things right when she does. She is held in the highest esteem in this community. She is talented, she is intelligent, she is beautiful inside and out and she cannot be brought down to your level. The only aspect in which I can fault Anne is that she continues to fight for your friendship. After all this time, after **everything** you’ve done to her she still treats you with respect, trying to gain your friendship and I don’t see why she bothers with it when there is absolutely nothing to gain from any sort of association with you. You have done **nothing** to deserve a friend like her. Luckily for you, Anne will fight relentlessly to gain your favor, even if doing so is in vain and causes her strife. She is a class above the rest of us, that’s for sure and certain. If I were her I would have cut my losses and given up on you long ago. You are positively wicked, Josie Pye, and until you change your behavior, I’m done with you.” Diana stood up and walked away from the group.

Ruby followed suit, packing up her lunch. “She’s right. Anne is an angel. I don’t know why you care about her relationship with Gilbert so much, but it’s none of our business. Whatever it is; friendship or more, they’re happy. Let them be and stay out of it.” Moody obviously left with her.

“You’re really choosing that orphan trash over me?” Josie stood and yelled after them.

Diana walked back to her briskly, stopping just inches in front of Josie’s face, glaring up at her. “You don’t get it at all! It’s much simpler than that. I don’t have to pick Anne over you; this isn’t about picking favorites though if it were, you clearly wouldn’t win. This is as simple as asking myself if I want to spend time with someone who speaks about others the way you do and the answer is no. I’ve been listening to you spew hatred and unkindness my entire life and I’ve had enough. It’s very important that you understand that I’m simply picking **not you**. I want **nothing** to do with you. If I was desperate for a friend and my choice was you or no one, I would choose no one without a second thought.” 

\---

Gilbert and Anne got directions to the jeweler from the manager at the bank and made their way through the town, arm in arm. When they reached the building, Gilbert opened the door for Anne, causing the bell on the door to ring and alerting the man behind the counter. Anne was still slightly emotional after the bank so Gilbert spoke with the clerk.

“Good afternoon, sir, we have some questions about this ring,” Gilbert said, as Anne place the ring on the counter.

“Anne Shirley,” the man said, “Aren’t you a vision. You look just like your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“You come to me with this ring and that hair and I can only assume you are Anne Shirley. I’m Mr. Thomas, Anne, Horace Thomas.”

“What?” she looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“Yes, it’s wonderful to see you healthy and… happy?” he could tell she had been crying.

She gathered herself and said, “Yes, generally I’m quite happy, and I am right now too, it’s just been an emotional morning. And now you’re here and it’s… it’s a lot to process,” she said staring at him for a bit before rushing around the counter and embracing him tightly. “Thank you Mr. Thomas. Thank you so very much, you have no idea what these items have done for me.”

“You’re welcome,” he said shocked by the hug, “I’m only sorry I couldn’t get them to you sooner.”

She released him, “If you own this store, why did you set this all up through the bank? I could have just come here.”

“I did not want to pressure you into meeting me, that’s all. I thought that you would feel safer finding the items at the bank rather than meeting some random man in a store a half day’s journey away from your home. I considered mailing them, but it seemed too valuable and I didn’t want to risk them to get lost or stolen.”

“Too valuable indeed,” she agreed, “Mr. Thomas, we’re curious, do you know anything more about the ring?”

“Like what exactly?”

Gilbert asked, “Do you know what the purpose of the ring was? We had assumed it was her mother’s wedding ring, but it is quite unusual with the flower and all. And we were surprised at the coloring. Admittedly, we don’t know much about jewelry but neither of us has seen anything like that before.”

“Not even in the mirror, Anne?”

Gilbert smiled, “Yes, I noticed the likeness. That’s what had me rethink its purpose as a wedding ring. Could it have been bought to commemorate her birth? Do people do that?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know for what purpose the ring served. Your parents weren’t poor, Anne, but they were by no means well-off. If she had a ring, I assume it would have been her wedding ring. All I can tell you about the stone is that it is an aquamarine and is the birthstone for March. It’s uncommon for a wedding ring, but much more affordable than a diamond.”

“My birthday is in March,” she added in a whisper.

“Well then, your friend here may be correct. I have encountered some people who come in well after they are married to buy rings, when they have the money. It’s possibly they did that and chose a stone that matches your eye color Anne or chose a ring to honor both their marriage and your birth, but I’d say it’s more likely that they bought what they could afford when they married and that the coloring and birthstone coincidence are just that, a very happy coincidence,” Mr. Thomas remarked, “I’m sorry that we will never know for sure.”

There was a brief silence as Anne thought about the possibilities.

“Regardless,” Gilbert said, seeing that Anne was in a bit of a trance, “It is a remarkable gift and a true treasure for her to find on her quest to learn more about her lineage, Mr. Thomas. Thank you so much for saving the ring and the book for Anne. It really does mean more to her than she can say.”

“I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name, Mr.?”

“Blythe. Gilbert Blythe.” He continued on without thinking, “Anne is my- ”

“Intended,” Anne blinked herself back into reality and cut in before he could say anything else, “I intend on marrying Gilbert, in a few years of course.”

“Well, congratulations! And now it seems you have a ring,” he said as Anne took the ring off the counter and placed it on her ring finger.

“It seems we do,” Gilbert added hesitantly, saddened at the thought of her not wanting his mother’s ring and confused by her proclamation.

When they were out the door Gilbert asked, “Why did you lie to him? We aren’t engaged.”

“I didn’t lie. I never said we were engaged, I said I intend to marry you and I do.”

“You should put that ring on a different finger.”

“It’s the only one it fits properly on and I don’t want to lose it. Come. Let’s find some food before we get back on the ferry.”

\---

Anne’s mood had drastically improved since the morning, but Gilbert’s had soured since she put the ring on her finger and Anne could tell. They bought some bread and cheese and sat on the pier looking out at the ocean while waiting to board the ferry.

“Gilbert, what’s wrong?” she asked.

“It’s nothing important.”

“If it is affecting you so it most certainly is important, please tell me what is bothering you, you haven’t been this gloomy since after that dance rehearsal.”

“You’re going to think I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I **know** you’re an idiot,” she smiled and leaned in to nudge him playfully, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

He took a deep breath before beginning, “I had hoped that when the time comes you would wear **my** mother’s ring. I know that it’s a stupid thing to be worried about and I feel just terrible about it because I know how much meaning this ring has for you, but I always pictured you with her ring on your finger and seeing you with that one is really throwing me off. I’m so sorry.”

Anne tried not to laugh at what she thought of as an irrational concern. “Well then, when the time comes, maybe consider offering it to me and see what my answer is instead of getting all worked up from assuming I won’t want it. This ring,” she said looking down at her hand, “is incredibly meaningful to me, but it has nothing to do with you. If we get engaged I’d very much like my ring to be meaningful to both of us.”

“When,” Gilbert corrected, his mood improved at her response.

“Pardon?”

“ **When** we get engaged. You said if. It’s not if, it’s when,” he said with that arrogant smirk on his face that she had come to love so much.

Anne reached her hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss that, while fairly chaste, continued for a few too seconds too long. When an elderly woman walked closely behind them and dramatically cleared her throat, Anne broke the kiss and yelled out, “Hey! I love this man and I don’t care who knows, ma’am! Keep your opinions to yourself!” as the woman scurried away.

“I love you so much,” Gilbert said through his laughter and pulled her in for another less proper kiss as the captain announced it was time to board the ferry.

\---

They found some seats on the ferry, but Anne grew restless before they even pulled away from the dock so they decided to walk around the deck. Their third time around the ship, they paused near the back when Anne thought she heard her name. She looked around but couldn’t find anyone.

“What is it?” Gilbert asked.

She looked around perplexed, “I thought I heard something, but I must be imagining it.”

“Anne!” she heard again.

“Did you hear that?”

“No, I’m sorry,” he strained to hear what she was hearing.

“Melkita’ulamun!” she heard as clear as day.

“Ka’kwet?” She looked around, but the deck was deserted. As far as she could tell, she and Gilbert were the only ones in sight until she noticed a crate shift in the corner. At the movement Anne rushed over and kneeled down.

“Ka’kwet?”

“Anne! I cannot come out. I did not pay to be here. Please. Help me get home.”

Anne stood quickly so as not to draw attention to what they were doing. She made Gilbert to sit on the crate and went in close to him so it looked as though they were simply flirting. Through a smile Anne asked, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“They hurt me and I want to go home. Will you help?”

“Yes. We won’t leave your side,” she said, and they remained true to her word. Gilbert and Anne stayed by the crate, keeping her out of sight for the duration of the trip and hid Ka’kwet between them as the disembarked. As soon as they rounded the corner out of view of the docks, Anne pulled her into a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you so much. I tried to come see you but they wouldn’t let me in.”

“Why would you tell me to go there? I thought you were my friend! You said school was wonderful!”

Anne was shocked. “What did they do to you?”

Ka’kwet broke down and explained the situation to Anne and Gilbert and Anne was left crying again.

“I’m so, so sorry, it shouldn’t be that way,” she said, sobbing, “I’m sorry I didn’t know. I would never have urged you to go had I thought there was any chance of you being hurt, I swear. I thought it would be like my school. Miss Stacy would never treat anyone like that. I don’t understand why they would do that to you.”

“Ka’kwet are you okay to walk a bit to a place we know you will be safe?” Gilbert asked, “We have some friends here in town and they are expecting us to return soon. We can get you cleaned up and get you some food. If you need any medical attention, I can try to help you and then we can get you home. Does that sound good to you? I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, but I know we can get you safely home.”

“I know you. You bought a stick.”

“Yes, my name is Gilbert Blythe, I’m a friend of Anne’s. You can trust me, though I don’t expect you to after all you’ve been through. Will you come with us?”

“Yes. Take me home.”

They walked back to Aunt Jo’s house as quickly as they could without drawing unwanted attention. They made it just in time for dinner and Ka’kwet was able to eat for the first time since leaving the school, and properly fill her stomach for the first time in weeks. After dinner, Gilbert asked her if she had any injuries and cleaned and bandaged various lacerations on her arms and legs. Fortunately it appeared that she hadn’t yet developed any infections.

Aunt Jo said, “I’ve been hearing nasty things about these residential ‘schools.’ They’re more akin to torture camps with commanders hell-bent on ripping apart these communities. I expect they will come looking for her. She needs to change clothes to better disguise her. Anne, keep the clothes you have on. I have no need for them. Ka’kwet can wear your clothes you arrived in until she returns to her village. Tell me Ka’kwet, do others know where your village is? Do you think they will be able to find you there?”

“Yes, we had white visitors before, more than Anne, and not so nice. Men with guns who yell at us.”

“You need to urge your village to relocate. You and the other children will not be safe until you do so. Do you think that will be possible?”

“I think, I think yes. I will try. We moved before. Many times.”

“Very good. Gilbert, Anne, get her to Green Gables. She will be safe there for the night, leave early tomorrow and set out for her village. Do everything you can to urge them to move on and move on quickly. Ka’kwet, when did you leave the school?”

“Yesterday.”

“You made good time then. I’d bet you have at most two days before they trace her back home though.”

“I’m getting her back home tonight then,” Anne said, resolutely.

“Anne, no, you all need to rest, Cole told me you didn’t even sleep last night and you’ve had a trying day. You’ll make yourself sick.”

“No! This is my fault! What does it matter if I make myself sick? I encouraged her to go to that wretched place! I told her it would be wonderful and she was treated just as I was at the asylum but so much worse! They took her identity away from her! They humiliated her and disparaged her way of life! No. I’m getting her back tonight and no one is going to stop me.”

Gilbert stood at Anne’s side, not at all surprised by her intentions, but interested to see how Aunt Jo would respond since she seemed to be a woman not used to accepting the word ‘no’ as an answer.

“Very well, then. Let’s get you to the train,” she conceded. Anne helped Ka’kwet dress quickly and regrettably made her look as common as possible. Aunt Jo called for a carriage to deliver them swiftly to the station where Gilbert used the money he tried to reject from Aunt Jo to purchase their tickets. They again sought out an empty car for the journey, though the cause for seclusion now was far more ominous than their affectionate trip the previous day. They sat in the very back with Ka’kwet facing the corner to hide her as much as possible. Eventually Anne suggested she lay down on her lap to aid in her obscurity and both Gilbert and Ka’kwet thought it was a good idea. They again had caught the last train of the day so they arrived to the Bright River station around dusk. Yesterday at a decent pace it had taken Anne and Gilbert over a half hour to reach the train station on horse from Avonlea. Now they were exhausted, scared, it was getting dark and Belle would be carrying two passengers instead of one. It was going to be a long night.

“Anne, you and Ka’kwet should take Midnight. He’s bigger and Belle is still recovering from giving birth. I don’t want to stress her,” Gilbert suggested as he helped the girls mount the horse before getting on Belle and following them away from the station. “I really don’t want to leave you alone, but I think we need to let our families know what is going on. I’m going to return Belle and then borrow a fresh horse from the Barrys.”

“You remember how to get there?”

“Yeah, from when we brought them that honey. I’ll be fine. Go on. I’ll find you.”

\---

Gilbert’s intentions were good, but Marilla and Mathew were hardly comforted when Gilbert burst through the door out of breath and said, “Belle home. Anne saving Ka’kwet. Need to catch up. Everyone is fine. Please tell Bash. Back soon.” And he was gone before Marilla or Matthew could find any words to question what was said, or not said. He sprinted straight to the Barry’s stable, knowing the stable boy would be there.

“Glen! Emergency! I need Champion!” He said as he started prepping the horse himself. Glen rose quickly to assist. He knew Gilbert and was happy to help. The saddle was on and strapped within minutes and Gilbert rode out the door shouting his thanks and trying to catch his breath.

They must have been riding hard because Gilbert didn’t catch up to Anne and Ka’kwet until they were about ten minutes from the camp. He didn’t say anything upon his arrival; just fell into stride behind them. He could see they were struggling. Ka’kwet was weak from her journey and Anne was exhausted from lack of sleep and emotional turmoil. When they finally got to the camp, it was past midnight and few were awake to greet them. Ka’kwet spoke quickly in her native tongue to raise the alarm. Within minutes the village was awake and mobilizing. Anne and Gilbert answered questions as needed and volunteered to help, but it was apparent that moving unexpectedly was all too common for them and it broke Anne’s heart even more. In a few short hours, the tribe was beginning its trek to a new location and Anne looked at Ka’kwet and started sobbing again.

“I’m so sorry Ka’kwet! I only wanted the best for you. I promise. I love school so much and I only wanted to share that joy with you.”

“I know. I know you did not mean for me to hurt. Thank you for helping me get back. I will miss you very much. I forgive you, Anne.”

After a lengthy hug, Ka’kwet’s mother called for her and she followed her people off into the night where they would hopefully all be safe. Anne fell to the ground in exhaustion and sorrow.

He sat down next to her, and pulled her to him so she could rest her head on his lap. He tried to provide some comfort by rubbing her back but figured she could probably not even feel him through the damn corset she was still wearing. After a while, Gilbert softly said, “Anne, you didn’t know. None of us had any idea. But you helped her in the end. You did. You made a difference. You did everything you could to right the wrong. And now we know. We can warn people about it,” he said. He helped her to sit up and after standing himself, he pulled her to her feet, “We’ve lingered here too long, Anne. I need to get you home; you need to rest.”

Midnight was spent, which was fine because Anne couldn’t stay awake enough to command a horse anyway. They rode back together slowly on Champion with Midnight following close behind. The journey was long at the slow pace and by the time they arrived at Green Gables, it was dawn and Jerry was already there getting started with his chores for the day.

“What’s going on?” Jerry asked, clearly concerned. “Is she alright? Is she hurt?”

“She’s fine, she’s just tired. Do you mind tending to the horses? The black one is mine, the brown is Diana’s. If you want to take it back you might be able to catch her before school,” sure he was exhausted, but he liked Jerry, and he owed Diana more than he could say.

“Thanks Gilbert, I’ll do that, just to help you out of course,” Jerry laughed.

“Of course,” he smiled as he went to help a barely awake Anne down from the horse. He carried her inside and up the stairs to her bedroom. He had barely placed her on her bed before he collapsed on the floor next to her in a dead sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I got Ka'kwet home safe! I really didn't see this happening, but as soon as they got on the ferry I remembered Ka'kwet was hiding on the ferry and it all came together (I hope you agree).


	3. Oh No They Didn't!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprising morning for Matthew and Marilla, Anne and Gilbert return to school and Diana makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter today, but not all days can be as exciting as their Monday was. Things will pick back up, I promise.
> 
> I haven't finished editing this, and for that I apologize. I'll try to come back tomorrow and clean it up. Also, apologies for the sickeningly sweet ending.

“Matthew Cuthbert, come with me at once,” Marilla said as Matthew sat down for breakfast.

“May I just-” he said pointing to his food.

“At once, Matthew!”

They made their way to Anne’s room where they saw Anne and Gilbert sleeping.

“What do you make of her clothes?” Marilla asked.

“Looks like what the Barrys or Andrews might be able to afford,” Matthew said, “Those look like pearls on the jacket. I’d wager those alone cost more than we bring home in a year.”

“And she’s wearing a corset! What is going on?”

“You could wake them and ask,” Matthew stated the obvious solution, “I’m sure they would have an explanation.”

They stared for a minute at the site before them. It wasn’t especially scandalous. Anne was in her bed and Gilbert was lying on the ground in a pile, without even a pillow to support his head. He truly looked more dead than anything else. Marilla started to think that maybe the situation wasn’t so bad. She knew they were out late and they were clearly exhausted. _That’s all this is,_ she thought, until she saw the ring.

“They wouldn’t!” Marilla rushed over to Anne and yanked her hand up so Matthew could see. “What about this? Did Gilbert speak with you about this?”

“No.” Matthew said, disappointed and suddenly angry. “Gilbert? Barn!” he yelled as he left the room.

Gilbert woke instantly at the sound of an angry Matthew and backed himself against the bed in fright. He had never heard this tone from Matthew and he was terrified to his core. Anne woke too and her eyes were wide as she said, “No, no, no, no, no! No, Matthew! Gilbert didn’t do anything wrong! Please just wait a minute! Ow!” she yelled in pain as she tried to get up but she had been wearing the corset for far too long and could barely breathe, much less move. “Matthew! Come back!”

Matthew lingered in the door and Marilla said, “Explain yourselves.”

“What time is it? We need to get to school!”

“You will be late. Out with it,” Marilla said.

“The clothes are from Aunt Jo. We thought it’d be easier at the bank if I looked more mature. We came across Ka’kwet on the journey home and to get her home safely she needed new clothes and the ones I wore on Sunday were the best we had available that might fit her. Don’t worry, they’re right… Gilbert where are they?”

Gilbert answered quietly. “I assume downstairs. Jerry said he would deal with the horses when we got back.Your clothes were on my horse.”

“And when was that?”

He continued explaining under Matthew’s intense stare, “Dawn. Ka’kwet was treated terribly at that school and after discussing it with Ms. Barry we determined that she and her whole village were in danger since the location of their community was well known. We took Ka’kwet to her village and helped them pack up so they could move. You know I brought Belle back last night. I didn’t want to push her so soon after giving birth so Anne and Ka’kwet took Midnight and after I left Belle here, I ran to Diana’s and then caught up to them on Champion. It took a couple hours for the village to mobilize and the trip back was very slow. Midnight was spent and Anne was falling asleep since she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before so we both rode back on Champion. We got back, I carried her up here and apparently fell asleep, I meant to leave, I swear, but I must have just collapsed here according to the pain in my neck.”

“So I see congratulations are in order?” Marilla asked flatly.

“What?” Anne was confused.

“The ring Anne. We all knew this was coming, but I must say I’m disappointed, Gilbert, that you wouldn’t even talk to Matthew about it first. You aren’t even publicly courting yet!”

“I didn’t give that to her!” he said, panicked.

“No, no, no! Gilbert didn’t give me this ring and we certainly aren’t engaged! I’m only wearing it so I wouldn’t lose it!” She quickly took the ring off and walked over to show it to Marilla, “This is what Mr. Thomas gave to me, it belonged to my mother! And a book! Which is… Gilbert?”

“In the barn next to Belle’s stall, in our bags,” he said, rubbing his forehead. Matthew had not yet taken his eyes off of Gilbert and he was sweating under the scrutiny.

“So you two aren’t engaged? Or married?” Marilla asked looking for final confirmation.

“No!” they answered emphatically.

“Well then I guess you both should get ready for school; better late than absent altogether. We’ll discuss your findings this evening, Anne.”

Matthew was still staring at the terrified boy on the floor. “Gilbert. Barn.” It wasn’t a question.

\---

Gilbert followed Matthew out of the house, across the yard and took a deep breath as he entered the barn. Matthew could see that Gilbert was terrified so he handed him a brush as a sort of peace offering. They both got started tending to Belle and he asked quietly, “How long have you known that you are going to marry Anne?”

Gilbert relaxed at his tone and tried to remind himself that Matthew was the kindest man that he had ever met. “Excuse me? Sir, we aren’t lying, we aren’t engaged.”

“I know that, that’s not what I asked. You heard me.”

“How long have I thought I might marry Anne? Since she acknowledged that she felt the same, I suppose, a couple months?”

“You know, Gilbert,” he said, with a knowing twinkle in his eye, “I remember how you looked at her when she brought us food after the fire. I saw how you jumped up when she entered the room that Christmas you returned home. I’ve seen how you look at her when she is holding Delphine and you think no one is watching. And I can see that pouch in your right pants pocket. Gilbert… son… how long have you **known**?”

He sighed, dropped the brush and leaned back against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets, clenching the ring, as he looked at the ground. He closed his eyes tightly and did some math. “Two years, nine months and twenty… twenty-four days. I've carried the ring with me every day since we got together.”

“So what are you waiting for?”

“What? You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad that you love her? I was mad when I thought you married her without allowing me to walk her down the aisle. I’m not mad that you love her. If you’re so certain, if you have been for so long, what are you waiting for?”

“The same thing I’ve always waited for: Anne. We’re young yet and knowing is enough for now. When she’s ready, I’ll be here.”

“Will I?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I wouldn’t dream of rushing you into anything. And I know I couldn’t rush her, even if I wanted to. When the time is right for both of you, that is when you will marry. I just worry sometimes that I won’t be around to see it, and I think I have been dreaming of that day more than she has,” he paused as he smiled at a memory, “You know, she was so sure she would be alone. Forever. First day we met she said she dreamed of being a bride, but couldn’t see herself being a wife since she considered herself so homely. Though she said maybe a foreign missionary might not be too particular and mightn’t mind the red hair.”

Gilbert laughed, “After my father died, she arrived with Diana and Ruby to deliver a shepherd’s pie. Diana pointed out that Anne did the topping, saying she was a good cook and out of nowhere Anne blurted out, ‘But I’d make a terrible wife!’ and bolted out the door. She has since explained that the girls told her that day of the skills and tasks involved with being a “proper” wife. She was distressed to be informed yet again that marriage had nothing to do with who she was and was only based on the services she could provide. After a lifetime in service, I don’t think she found any reassurance in the comment.”

“She certainly had this idea of what a wife should be, and I’ll admit, she does not check those boxes. But she eventually came up with the term life-mate, equals and partners, neither one having to abandon their heart’s desires.”

“Yes, we’ve discussed it, and I agree.”

“Look, I know that you both have years of school ahead of you, and goals to accomplish and if I’m not around when you marry, that will be what it will be. Just, please. Pease tell me you love her. Tell me she will always have a home with you. Tell me that she will never again feel unwanted or unloved.”

A little frustrated that his intentions with Anne weren’t already clear, Gilbert practically interrupted him, “Mr. Cuthbert, I have loved Anne since before I understood what love was. When I close my eyes and dream about my future, she is the only thing that is clear; she is the only thing that truly matters. I will never tire of telling her how beautiful she is or trying to make her laugh. When she allows me, I will take care of her. When she falls, I will catch her. When she needs encouragement, I will push her. I will stand beside her today, and every day, until the day I die, and keep praying that she never finds out that I need her more than she needs me. I can’t promise her a life of grandeur, but she will want for nothing and have the opportunity to do anything.”

“That’ll do,” Matthew said with tears in his eyes and he began to leave the barn. At the door he turned around, “We will not be discussing this again. Whatever you need to proceed: my permission, my blessing, my approval? You have it.”

\---

“Diana!” Jerry called as he caught Diana on the way to school.

“Jerry? What are you doing here?” Diana smiled at the surprise.

“Gilbert borrowed a horse last night and I’m here to return it. Just passed Champion off to Glen and he is watering and feeding him.”

“Why did Gilbert need a horse?” Diana asked, concerned.

“I do not know, but they only returned to Green Gables a couple hours ago. Anne was dressed very fancy. Fancier than I have ever seen on anyone. Except your Aunt in Charlottetown.”

“That’s odd. I wonder why?”

“How much does Anne share with you? About Gilbert?” Jerry asked cautiously.

“A lot more than I care to know,” Diana laughed, “Why?”

“Do you think they could have gotten married?”

“Good heavens, no! Why?”

“She was wearing a ring.”

“What?!” she yelled.

“Yes, a fancy gold one with a blue gem. She fell asleep on the horse and when Gilbert went to help her down, she put her arms around his neck and I definitely saw a ring on that,” he said, pointing to Diana’s ring finger, “finger.”

“Well, typically wedding rings have diamonds, so maybe it means something else?”

“Would Gilbert be able to afford a diamond?”

“That’s a good point. I expect not. I really think she would have said something if they were intending to make such a momentous decision any time soon. She still doesn’t even want people to know they are courting. Getting married doesn’t seem like it would prevent the gossip she is so worried about. I’ll ask her though. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation. Thank you for returning the horse, and for the information. It was a nice surprise to see you this morning,” she said smiling up at him.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, “See you later?”

“Definitely.”

\---

Anne looked in the mirror at her hair. It was a disaster. She ran down the stairs after Marilla. “Marilla! Can you please help me get my hair down? I can’t show up like this to school. People will talk. And I need help unlacing the corset, I think I’ve bruised my ribs, it’s been on over twenty-four hours.”

Marilla took pity on the girl, who seemed in over her head with the aspects of maturity. “Come dear, let’s got you sorted,” she said as Anne took a seat at the table. “That really is quite an impressive outfit, Anne. We will need to get that back to Ms. Barry after having it cleaned.”

“She said I could keep it. She doesn’t need it anymore and it’s too small for her.”

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable with it.”

“I’m not comfortable with it either, but we’ve tried to refuse her generosity before and it doesn’t work.”

She worked quietly for a while before asking, “Anne? Why were you wearing the ring?”

“Marilla, I promise, we are not engaged. I only wore it because I didn’t want to lose it. That’s the only finger it fit properly on. I meant to take it off the moment I returned and put it somewhere safe, but I fell asleep before we even returned. I was so worried about what I would find waiting for me at the bank that I didn’t sleep the previous night either. And I certainly didn’t want to sleep in a corset, but even if I had been awake, it’s not like you were available to help me, so I suppose it’s just as well that I was too tired to notice the pain.”

“You wouldn’t have asked Gilbert to help?”

“Marilla! No! Do you really think I would do that?”

“Just checking where you stand, Anne, and I must say I’m relieved at your reaction.”

\---

After his meeting with Matthew in the barn, Gilbert ran home, updated Bash on what was going on, shoveled some food into his mouth, washed up and got on his way.

“Anne!” he yelled, coming up behind her. She turned at his calling and waited. He walked up to greet her, reached up and tugged on each braid, pulling her in for a kiss.

“Mmmm,” she hummed, “Back to pulling my hair?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you looked beautiful yesterday, but I’m not ready for you to leave your braids behind yet. I like you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like you. I’m sure I’ll get used to your other look eventually, but it didn’t look like you.”

“You were awfully enthusiastic about kissing someone who didn’t look like me.”

“You know what I mean, Anne,” he laughed, “I thought you would already be at school considering the time my visit with Matthew and running home took.”

“Well, we had some issues regarding hairpin and corset removal. Took quite a while. Isn’t breathing deeply absolutely invigorating?”

“Indeed it is,” he said.

“You know we can’t both arrive at the same time showing up this late together,” Anne said sadly.

“Yeah, I know, do you want to run ahead or lag behind?”

“I’ll lag. I need to breathe some more.”

“I’m getting tired of running everywhere. I’m going home tonight and sleeping until dawn."

\---

Gilbert entered the classroom as quietly as possible and apologized to Miss Stacy. Anne arrived about fifteen minutes later in the same fashion. She sat down and was greeted by a big hug from Diana, who then held her hand when she whispered how much she missed her, relieved to feel there was no ring on her finger. To avoid any possibility of a rumor being spread, Diana didn’t bring up what Jerry said at school. The morning passed without incident, but both Gilbert and Anne fell asleep during lunch. Gilbert was leaning up against a tree and Anne was resting her head on Diana’s lap. It was the most peaceful lunch she had enjoyed in recent memory. Most the class was gathered near the school or playing catch and Diana found she had a moment to just think to herself. Finally.

She looked down at her friend, sleeping peacefully in her lap, and then over at the boy who loved her and smiled. She had waited so long for this and it was entirely satisfying to see them together. Diana was jealous of Gilbert at times, knowing how close they had gotten, but she could tell they were incandescently happy and it made her wonder if she would ever find something like that. She was having fun with Jerry, but beyond that? Was there any possibility of a future with him? Would she want it if there was? She wasn’t so sure.

It was hard not to compare her relationship, or whatever it was, to Gilbert and Anne, who were so sure of their future together. They fit together so perfectly that it was almost off-putting. They deserved it though; having both already endured so much in their short lives. Their relationship had such depth and understanding; in comparison what she had with Jerry seemed superficial. She would have to talk to Jerry, she decided, to see if they can figure out together what their relationship actually was. Anne and Gilbert both said that everything righted itself as soon as they actually started communicating with each other instead of assuming what the other was thinking and look where they are now. Yes, a discussion was definitely needed.

Diana often found that she was some sort of caretaker for Gilbert and Anne’s relationship. She did it entirely out of love for her friends, and she found her role in their courtship amusing, if not exhausting at times. She was the one watching what people said so as not to bother Anne, she was the one coughing when they stared at each other for too long or sat too close and she was the one who would make sure they were presentable after “talking” in the woods. She liked standing up for Anne yesterday. She liked fighting for something she believed in, for someone met with adversity from the rich and powerful. She felt invigorated and like she could make a difference. _This must be what Miss Stacy talked about in her lesson about conviction._ She wanted to fight for people. _Anne is going to be a teacher, Gilbert will be a doctor and I am going to fight._ Nothing had ever been this clear to her in her life. She had never felt passion for anything before like she did at that moment. She **would** be taking the Queens Entrance Exams. _I’m going to be a lawyer._ Somehow she would find a way, and no one was going to stop her.

\---

Miss Stacy was surprised to see that Anne and Gilbert were able to stay awake the rest of the day, but it was close, with both of their heads resting on their arms most of the final hour.

“Anne, would you be interested in sharing with the class what business you had at the bank?”

“Um, yes, sure. It’s a long story, but I received some things owned by my parents, someone had left them in a safety deposit box for me. I can bring the book tomorrow to share, there are inscriptions from my father to my mother indicating how much he loved her and he drew a portrait of her in the back, and it is absolutely breathtaking. There was also a ring left for me. We thought it might be her wedding ring, but the stone was blue, which is the color of the birthstone for March apparently which is when my birthday is, so that was quite fortuitous. Regardless of the purpose it served, it is absolutely exquisite and I am so thankful that Mr. Thomas saved them for me and worked so diligently to be sure I received them.”

“Can you bring the ring too?” Ruby asked excitedly.

“I don’t think so, I don’t want to lose it, but you can visit and see it, Ruby. I’d be happy to show it to you.”

“Why were the both of you so late to school today?” Josie asked with a sneer.

“We barely caught the final train last night and then had some things to sort out,” Gilbert said. “Miss Stacy, we’d like to speak with you about that after class if we could.”

Miss Stacy looked confused, “Certainly. Anne, I would love to see the book. Feel free to bring it tomorrow if you are comfortable sharing it with the class. I think we are done here today. See you all tomorrow.”

Anne and Gilbert explained the situation with Ka’kwet and the residential schools with Miss Stacy who was left emotional after learning that the cultural stripping of these children was being called education. She sent the two on their way after promising to do her best to delve further into the situation.

They walked home slowly and quietly from school. They were too exhausted to keep up conversation or to remember to keep their distance. Gilbert delivered Anne to Green Gables, told her she was beautiful and that he loved her and kissed her gently on the cheek.

“Thank you for coming with me Gilbert, you have no idea how much it meant to have you there, no, how much you helped me, no, ugh! That’s not enough!” she groaned in frustration.

He laughed, “You need to sleep, Anne.”

“What I’m trying to say, I think, is that you have no idea how much you mean to me. I am so thankful to have discovered more about my family, truly grateful, and the book and the ring are priceless, it’s true but you, Gilbert Blythe, you are my greatest treasure. I’m so glad I didn’t have to go through any of that alone.”

“You’ll never be alone again, I promise.”

“I know.”

“Go inside and go to sleep, Carrots.”

“I’m already dreaming.”


	4. Anne Haunts Gilbert's Dreams (And Not in a Good Way)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert struggles with jealousy and Anne misinterprets it and doesn't take it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is a cohesive chapter, it's really late (early?) and my brain might be broken. Apologies for the slow update, I got distracted by my other story.
> 
> I'll reread tomorrow and there might be minor updates if I determine something doesn't make sense.
> 
> If I told you about the conversation I was looking forward to writing, it is in this chapter, but it didn't become everything I wanted it to be, so I might do more with the 3 boys later.
> 
> Warning- there is a description of a woman being attacked in this story. It isn't too graphic, but she was injured. It's after Anne says, "And I don't need your help."
> 
> The story will lighten up a bit after this chapter.

Gilbert slept like the dead until about two in the morning when a vision of Anne surrounded by a dozen young men at Queens woke him. From then on, he slept fitfully and ended up being late to school because of it. He walked in apologizing to Miss Stacy, for the second day in a row, and shot a remorseful look to Anne who no doubt was waiting for him to walk with her to school that morning. Her forgiving smile was interrupted by a sneeze that snuck up on her so suddenly that she laughed at it.

As he stole glances at her that morning, he tried to reconcile the girl he knew so well with the woman she portrayed herself as on Monday. He was aware that his female classmates were maturing, just as he was, and as could be expected they would be dressing appropriately for their age when they completed their schooling in Avonlea. He had always been drawn to Anne, from that very first day he came upon her in the wood. He always thought she was cute, and as she matured, he now thought her truly beautiful but somehow he had never expected her to be quite as stunning as she was on Monday. Though, maybe it was just that he had never given it any consideration.

“Gilbert?”

He hardly thought twice about what he wore every day and he noticed what Anne wore only to the extent that some things were more form fitting than others, which he found he preferred. Though he was certain he wanted to marry her, he hadn’t thought of her as a woman when he envisioned it, it was always just them, as they currently were.

“Gilbert?”

And really, that’s ridiculous. Of course she would mature. So would he. Why hadn’t he thought about it? Probably because he’d shouldered so much responsibility for so long already. By the time he turned eighteen he felt he had already been an adult for years. But what else came with that? Supposedly he would eventually have to shave, more than he did currently anyway, which wasn’t much. Or he could grow a beard? After considering it for a minute he thought maybe not. His father used pomade in his hair when he was younger, would he be expected to do that? He hoped not and couldn’t help the disgusted face he made as Miss Stacy made a final attempt to gain his attention.

“Gilbert Blythe,” she stood directly in front of him with her arms crossed. She was more amused than angry. “Care to share what has your mind so captivated this morning? Do you find something distasteful about your schooling experience today?”

The class laughed.

“I am so sorry Miss Stacy, really. I didn’t sleep well and I’m having a hard time concentrating.”

“Clearly. Did you complete the assigned questions?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Please share your answer for number three.”

“The angle is 40 degrees,” he swore he heard a collective gasp at his answer.

“I don’t think you quite completed the problem. Anne?”

“The angle is 30 degrees,” she said quickly before sneezing again and looking over at Gilbert with concern.

“Bless you. That is correct. You may all be dismissed for lunch. Gilbert, a word please.”

He followed her into the storage room.

“Sit,” she commanded.

He sat.

“What’s going on?”

“I wasn’t lying, Miss Stacy. I really didn’t sleep well.”

“Why not? You were certainly tired enough. I noticed you and Anne both slept during lunch yesterday.”

“I slept well for the first part of the night, but then had a troublesome dream and I spent the rest of the night worrying about things that I shouldn’t be worried about.”

“You’ll need to talk to her about it. You’re losing focus and you need to do well on the exams to get into U of T.”

“Is it really so obvious that she’s involved?”

“Yes. You are not easily distracted, Gilbert. I heard your effort never waned during your father’s illness, you excelled your studies through Delphine’s birth and subsequent weeks of sleepless nights, and while you grieved Mary’s death, you threw yourself into your education even more as a coping mechanism. They only thing, the only person rather, who has ever been able to distract you is Anne.”

He groaned in frustration, “Why is it so all-consuming?”

“Because you love her.”

“Are you implying that I didn’t love my father or Mary?”

“No, Gilbert, I’m sorry. And I don’t mean to overstep, but I don’t think that you let yourself feel those grievances fully for very long whereas you have allowed yourself to be completely invested in this relationship. And while that shows deep commitment and trust, it also makes you vulnerable in a way. Do you need a sounding board? I expect Sebastian might be better suited than me for such matters, but I’m here if you need me.”

“Sebastian would just make fun of me and call me a moke,” he complained, leaning back and relaxing in his chair.

“Would he be right to do so?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “So, Aunt Jo, Josephine Barry that is, Diana’s great aunt, decided that it would be beneficial for Anne to dress more maturely on our excursion on Monday. After,” he paused, looking uncomfortably out the window, “observing her… and speaking with Cole it became glaringly apparent that Anne will not be short on male attention next year and I will be a thousand miles away-”

“An aspiring doctor who I expect will not short on attention from other women. This is a two way road Gilbert. If you become doubtful, resentful and suspicious, you will crash and burn. You are both exceedingly kind and generous and I expect you will both form friendships with members of the opposite sex and they could potentially misread the nature of your relationship. Does that affect how you feel about each other? Probably not. And if it does, then there is a chance, yes, that there are people better suited out there for you.”

He looked at her in horror.

“Look, I honestly don’t think that’s the case with you two. You have been through so much together and you understand each other so deeply that it is hard to imagine finding a better match for either of you. If you trust each other and you’re willing to work on the relationship, you will be fine. I’m sure you saw from Bash and Mary, that even if you’re in love with your partner, relationships are work, especially with two intelligent, passionate and stubborn individuals like you and Anne. It will not always be easy, but it will be worth it. You two know better than most your age how important it is to have good communication. Talk to her about it. Work through your anxiety and see if you can come to some kind of solution together. Now go eat your lunch. Anne probably thinks you are infirm since she just beat you at geometry.”

\---

Most the elder students were eating lunch together. The girls were looking at Anne’s book so Gilbert sat by Moody and Charlie.

“You in trouble?”

“Yeah, but not with Miss Stacy.”

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked.

“Never mind,” he said as he sat down, committed to putting his concerns about Anne to the back of his mind until he could talk with her after school. “Have they been looking at the book this whole time?”

“Yes. Did you see that portrait of Anne’s mother?” Moody asked

“Yeah I did. Striking resemblance, no?” Gilbert smiled.

“What was it like, travelling with Anne?” Charlie whispered. “I figured she will mellow out over time, is she more mellow when she’s not at school?”

Gilbert whispered back, angrily, “What the hell are you talking about? She was authentically Anne, like always, though I’ll admit Monday was a trying day. If you expect her to mellow out you will be waiting forever. Her passion is one of her most endearing and attractive traits and there are many guys out there who would see it as such.”

“Like you?” Charlie said, fishing for clarification of their relationship.

He continued quietly, “Well, I just brought the point forward, so yes, you can assume that I appreciate her passionate nature. Charlie, she told you she wasn’t interested, and I know you think she’s pretty, but even you must see that you two aren’t well matched. When you are looking for someone to court, shouldn’t you maybe like their personality? You will be spending an awful lot of time with them after all.”

“My father told me that wives are for bearing children, keeping a house, and caring for her husband and that they should look pretty while doing it.”

“That’s disgusting. And in what world do you see Anne being satisfied with keeping a house and doting on her husband? Shut your mouth, it was rhetorical. If that is what you really want and you find a wife someday that wants that as well, you will be very happy together, I have no doubt, but you can’t expect a woman to change her very nature to fit into some box of who you expect them to be. Anne has been defying expectations since she got here and that is exactly how so many have come to love her in spite of all the preconceived notions they may have had about her. There will be plenty of pretty girls at Queens. Stay away from Anne. And while we’re at it, stop telling people that being intelligent causes women to be barren. I don’t know what fool told you that but there is not an ounce of truth to it.”

“But my dad said-”

“He was wrong. Now let me eat.”

Gilbert ate his food quickly while subtly watching Anne’s excitement as she shared different aspects of the book with her friends.

“I don’t get it. If you are so afraid to lose the ring, why not just wear it so we can at least see it?” Josie asked, clearly doubting the existence of the ring.

“It only fits on one finger Josie, and I hardly need such a debacle in my life right now.”

“It must have been thrilling walking around town dressed as a woman! Did you feel different?” Ruby asked.

“Last time I did, yes, but this time wasn’t so strange. I was quite preoccupied with the other events of the day though, I hardly noticed what was going on around me.”

“You can say that again,” Gilbert chimed in.

“Pardon?” Anne asked, confused.

“Half the men we passed on Monday looked at you longer than what would be deemed proper.”

“You can’t be serious,” Anne said nervously.

“I absolutely am, you were just in your head.”

“Her? Really?” Josie scoffed.

“Yes, Josie. Really.”

“Well, the clothes were magnificent,” Anne stated modestly, “And Cole did wonders with my hair.”

Gilbert continued, “The grocer even complimented her saying she was the most beautiful woman he had seen all day.”

“I thought that comment rather bold,” Ann said curtly, “though I can’t say I wasn’t flattered.”

“And that didn’t make you jealous, Gilbert? All that attention on **your** girl?” she asked in an attempt to define their relationship.

“I don’t make it a habit to own people. And why would I be jealous? She was walking around with **me** ,” he said, smiling arrogantly.

“And is that all you did? Walk around?”

“You can dig and dig Josie, but you’re not going to get the answers you are so desperate to hear. I can say with 100% honesty that in spending nearly 36 hours together unchaperoned we did nothing together that we haven’t done in that classroom,” Gilbert said confidently. Josie looked down in frustration and missed the wink Gilbert gave Anne which caused a deep blush.

“Anne, are you done? I need to ask you something and lunch is nearly over, do you mind coming with me?” Diana asked to help Anne out of the situation. They packed up their things and when they entered the empty schoolhouse Diana asked quietly, “How does he lie so well? Doesn’t that worry you? I assume you at least shared a kiss on your trip.”

“He’s a terrible liar, Diana. He is one of the most brutally honest people I have ever met, and surprisingly crafty with how he phrases his words,” she said. She hadn’t planned on sharing, but Diana was clearly waiting for an explanation. “A while back Miss Stacy asked us to stay late after school for a minute and left us alone in the classroom. Gilbert said that he dreamed of kissing me in the spot where I first told him my name. So we did.”

“That’s kind of sweet,” Diana said, smiling softly.

“Yes it is,” Anne responded, biting her lip before sneezing. “Excuse me. It started sweet anyway.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Well,” she began guiltily, “Gilbert Blythe is a very passionate individual.”

“What’s going on?” Gilbert asked quietly after he put his things away.

“Anne here was just explaining why that last statement wasn’t a lie,” Diana whispered, “Stop looking so proud, you arrogant boy. Exactly how long did you linger in the entry to the classroom.”

He shrugged, “Just a few minutes.”

“Oh, okay,” Diana relaxed, “You had me thinking something truly scandalous happened in here. You know, anyone could have seen you.”

“But they didn’t, and we spent a lot longer on your desk,” he said coolly as he turned to walk away.

“Gilbert Blythe!” both Anne and Diana scolded in unison before Diana turned to Anne, who was blushing yet again, and whispered, “You two are out of control!”

\---

As they took their seats Gilbert asked, “Anne, have you been practicing Mary’s cake?”

“Yes, have you?” Anne shot back at him.

“What do you mean?” he looked confused.

“I thought it’d be fun, to have a bit of a competition, if you will. You know, for old time’s sake.”

“I’m listening,” he smirked.

“Well, I’ve been teaching you to bake and you’ve gotten a little smug about it so I propose that we both enter Mary’s cake in the fair competition,” she sneezed. “Pardon me. And we will see who wins.”

Diana was beaming, “Anne! That’s a fantastic idea!”

“Men don’t bake!” yelled Josie.

“This one does,” replied Gilbert.

“So do I,” added Moody. Certainly not to the extent Gilbert did, but he frequently assisted his mother in the kitchen. Plus, he and Gilbert had grown closer over the last couple months and if he had to stretch the truth in solidarity, he was all for it.

“Care to make it interesting?” Gilbert asked.

“You are so haughty!” Anne exclaimed as Ruby and Diana laughed. “Are you so certain you can beat your teacher?”

“Well, she is an exceedingly good teacher, so yes, yes I am.”

“Wipe that smirk off your face. What are your terms, Doctor Blythe?”

He thought that was a bit of a low blow, since she knew how her calling him that affected him and he couldn’t do anything about it here.

He took a deep breath, “Simple, Carrots,” she blushed and he could see the name produced the desired effect. “Loser grants the winner one wish.”

“That is a bit risky, being so open-ended.”

“Of course it is open-ended,” groaned Josie, “This way he could wish for you to marry him and you’d have to say yes.”

Both Anne and Gilbert rolled their eyes and said, “Who would do that?”

Diana stepped in to help, “More importantly, why would Gilbert need to trick someone in to marrying him?”

Ruby added, “And why would anyone say no?”

Moody looked alarmed.

“Anyway,” he tried to get the conversation back on track. “It’s only risky if you don’t think you’re going to win. I don’t see a risk at all, because I’m confident in my abilities. What do you say Carrots, are you a better teacher or a better baker?”

“Deal,” she said, reaching across to shake his hand.

“Excellent,” he smiled, reinvigorated for the afternoon by her touch.

\---

“Anne, Gilbert? May I speak with you?” Diana asked as she came up behind them after everyone else had left the schoolhouse.

“I thought you were going to rush off to see Jerry tonight,” Anne said.

“That can wait. I’ve decided to take the examinations.”

Anne squealed in delight and hugged her, “Your parents aren’t making you go to finishing school?”

“Ah, yes, they still think they are, so I need your help if you don’t mind. So, obviously we don’t have school tomorrow or Friday because of fair preparation and the fair itself and next week is just the Queens study sessions. I don’t think I can come up with an excuse to be away all day every day to attend Miss Stacy’s lessons, but I thought I could maybe tell my parents that I’m giving you etiquette lessons next week to prepare you for your entry into society and maybe study with you two? That is if you actually study together, I don’t want to interrupt anything if that isn’t what you are actually doing.”

Anne laughed. “Yes, Diana we actually study together and we would love to help you, at least I would. Gilbert?”

“Definitely! This is really great news Diana. Do you know what you would like to pursue?”

“Um, yes,” she paused, “Please don’t laugh; I know my aspirations may seem a bit lofty.”

“Are you kidding?” Anne asked, “You can do anything Diana, I really believe that.”

“I’d like to study law and try to become a lawyer. I’ve found I quite like defending and fighting for people,” she said smiling at Anne.

Gilbert grinned widely and chuckled, recalling how he felt when she interrogated him after discovering their relationship.

“Something funny about that, Gilbert?” she asked, irritated.

“No, Diana,” he said, putting his arm around her and hugging her to his side, “You will be magnificent.”

\---

They all walked home together and after Diana went off to meet Jerry, Gilbert decided to voice his concern to Anne.

“Hey Anne?”

“Hey Gilbert? Are you finally going to explain the truth behind why you were late and why you were so distracted this morning?”

He spoke lowly, “Um, yeah. How would you feel about a long engagement?”

“I’m not sure, why do you ask?”

“We’re going to be separated soon. I guess I just want to be clear with my intentions.”

“You’ve been perfectly clear, Gilbert, as have I. Never once have I doubted the sincerity of your proclaimed intentions and until now it has not been an issue so I can assume it is something recently that led you to be concerned about the status of our relationship?”

“I’m not concerned about the status, I’m concerned about you. Anne, you have no idea how much attention you’re going to attract at Queens.”

“So am I to understand that the supposed attention I received on Monday did indeed make you a bit jealous?”

“I wasn’t jealous on Monday, because I was with you. But I’m not going to be with you during the school year if I get into U of T. I’m going to be a day away from you for months at a time.”

“You will get into Toronto. That is not an ‘if.’ Cole indicated to me that I might receive some attention next year and advised me to prepare myself. I honestly never thought I’d see the day where even one person would find me beautiful. To think that others may actually agree with you will be something I will need to come to terms with. You trust me though, right? You know I am just as committed to this as you are.”

“Anne, I trust you explicitly. But I absolutely do not trust any of the men you will be meeting this fall.”

“How can you say that? You don’t even know them!”

“That’s exactly why I say it! And you haven’t yet fully deterred Charlie away from you either. He was asking today if you were more mellow during our trip.”

“So what, this long engagement would just be you marking your territory? Claiming me?” she was growing angry.

“No!”

“I’m perfectly capable of turning down unwanted attention, thank you very much, or don’t you remember?”

Gilbert tried to remain calm. “I remember perfectly well. What I don’t understand is why it keeps being used as an example of you successfully deterring my attention. I specifically remember that it didn’t work, and only furthered my interest in you. There are men in this world that won’t step back and patiently wait to earn your friendship as a last resort. If you could only hear how men talk about women, Anne. The things I heard on the steamer, the things that I hear while in Charlottetown every Saturday, I would pay to not have to hear men speak that way again. Some men don’t listen, Anne, some don’t care what you say. There is **nothing** that you can say that will deter them.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“You are the most intelligent person I know but you still have no idea how enchanting you are; how utterly captivating you are in every way. Everything about you will draw people to you and for some, saying no won’t matter, it will be an invitation to try again with a grander gesture. For some, explaining that you are already courting won’t be off-putting, just a challenge to overcome- like a game to win. For others, if you hit them, they will hit you back twice as hard just to put you in the place they think you belong in. You know that I’m telling the truth Anne. You’ve seen it before.”

“That won’t happen to me,” she said resolutely, “And I don’t need your help.”

“I hope and pray that it doesn’t happen to you. But it happens all the time and no woman out there starts her day thinking it will happen to them. Women come in to the clinic every Saturday that I am there. I bandage their wounds, treat their burns and watch Doctor Ward set their bones. All results of saying no, sometimes to their husbands, sometimes to their friends. I asked what happened to a young woman two weeks ago when she arrived. She was having tea that noon with someone she thought was her friend. He offered to walk her home and when she turned down his advances, he pushed her into an alley and tried to force himself on her. She fought and was able to get away, but not before he pushed her so violently into a wall that half her face was rubbed raw from the brick and mortar on the building. I spent two hours that afternoon picking fragments of the crumbling brick out of her bloody flesh.”

Anne gasped in shock.

“I know you don’t need my help, but I thought we were to the point where you might want it, and this is the only thing I could think of that might help and even wearing a ring probably won’t do much, but it’s all I have. It’s the only way I can think to help the one person I love more than anyone else in this world. I’m going to be over a thousand miles away and you shouldn’t have to do this alone. Aren’t we a team Anne? Isn’t that what you want? I can’t believe that you would ever think of an engagement to me as some territorial claim. Matthew asked me yesterday how long I’ve known I want to marry you. Do you know what I said? Two years, nine months and twenty-four days. Twenty-five now, so don’t you dare diminish my intentions to marry you as marking my territory when I have been in love with you for longer than I have actually understood what love is. Never in my life have I ever given you any reason to believe that I think of you as property to be managed. I will be fully honest with you though, Anne. I **am** worried that you will get to Queens and find someone better suited to you than I am. Would it really be so bad to have something to remind you of me when I can’t be with you?” He started walking away, leaving her at the gate to Green Gables.

“Gilbert, wait…” she pleaded, on the verge of tears, regretting her words that clearly caused him so much pain.

“Look, fine, it’s clear you don’t want to wear my ring. At least take your mother’s with you so after a few weeks of unwanted attention you’ll at least have the option.” He walked away from her, both of them with tears falling from their eyes.

\---

Chopping wood didn’t release Gilbert’s anger. Nor did Bash’s poor attempt at humor, pulling weeds, fixing the fence or punching his bed. Oddly enough, washing the dishes used to calm him down, but ever since Bash’s mother, Hazel, arrived, she didn’t let him do the dishes. As a last ditch effort, he decided to go on a walk. As he rushed out the door he ran into Moody, who stumbled down the porch steps, twisting his ankle.

“Sorry, Moody. Hi. Are you okay?”

“Just turned my ankle a bit; I think it’s fine.”

“Did you need something?” he asked as he reached down to help him up.

“Advice?”

“You and me both. I was just going for a walk to clear my head. Care to join me?”

“That works. Thanks.”

They walked in silence for a quite a few minutes before Gilbert asked, “So… you want to go first?”

“Do you and Anne agree on everything?”

He burst out laughing, “Is that a joke?”

“Sorry, what I mean is do you generally get along, do you ever have any misunderstandings?”

“Yes we get along, otherwise we wouldn’t be together, though there are always bound to be misunderstandings. Like today, which was an absolute disaster, but we can circle back to that. What happened with Ruby, Moody?”

“I don’t know! Everything was going really well and then she said anyone would say yes to marrying **you** and then we were talking about the fair and now she’s mad at me and I have no idea what happened!”

Gilbert sighed, “I’m going to need more information, Moody.”

“My ankle is bothering me, do you mind if we stop here and sit for a bit?”

“Really, here?” he asked, observing the irony.

“Yeah, something wrong with that?”

“Nothing wrong at all. It’s only the remnants of our girls’ clubhouse, seems a perfectly appropriate place to voice our frustration and confusion,” he said sardonically.

“I didn’t know they had a clubhouse.”

“Yeah, they had a sort of writing club until Billy destroyed it. Cole used the space too. Remember? That’s why he attacked Billy.”

“Oh yeah, right.”

“Shh shh shh,” Gilbert said, trying to decipher an angry voice nearing them. After recognizing that the voice was yelling in French he called out, “Jerry?”

“’Allo?” Jerry questioned as he looked around.

“Jerry! Over here!”

“Ah, Gilbert, hi.”

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, no, I am coming from Diana’s and it is not good.”

“Sit,” Gilbert commanded. “Moody, this is Jerry. Jerry works at Green Gables and has been, I don’t know exactly what it is honestly, so let’s go with a close personal friend of Diana’s. Jerry, this is Moody, he goes to school with us and is currently courting Ruby. Do you know Ruby?”

“Yes of course, little one with yellow hair. She used to like Gilbert, no?”

“Yep, that’s the one,” Moody said on a sigh. “Wait, you’re with Diana? She implied I wasn’t good enough for her and now she is with you?”

“Moody!” Gilbert chastised.

“Not to worry, I’m not good enough for her either. She just told me as much.”

“Really?” Gilbert asked, “What happened?”

“She said she wished things were different but that it was not fair to either of us to continue without making clear that there is no future for us together. Said her parents would never approve and right now she is already going to be upsetting them to sneak out to study and take the exams. So she gave me a choice. We can continue on as we have been, knowing that it will end at the end of summer or we stop now. She said she really likes me and that she enjoys the time we spend together so much but she can’t let herself get too attached to me and doesn’t want to hurt me by giving me hope for a future together. What would you do?”

Moody spoke first, “I would give up; I **did** give up. I was interested in Diana for a while, but after being with Ruby I know now that I wasn’t willing to fight for Diana because it was a shallow attraction. She is very pretty and I just thought there was more to it because we kissed during that stupid game.”

“Gilbert? What do you think?”

“Well, I’m a little more stubborn that Moody here is,” he smiled and the guys laughed. “If I were you, I don’t think I would stop. If you both enjoy being together and you are okay knowing there is an expiration date, that’s great, have some fun. If you think you love her, I would spend the rest of the time you have together showing her that, and showing her who you could grow to become, not that you need to change for her, but pretty soon you won’t be just a hired hand; you will be managing Green Gables. While that isn’t going to be enough to win over Diana’s parents, it shows that you have intelligence and fortitude.”

“Fortitude?”

“Sorry, um, strength and resilience. You know resilience?”

“No.”

“It means that you don’t get knocked down easily. You keep working, even when things are hard. Very important when courting, I’ve learned. Anyway, if you love her, keep trying. If it works and you get to be together, you’ll get everything you dreamed of. If not, and it ends anyway, at least you will have tried. I think that if you love her and you give up now, you’ll always wonder what would have happened if you stayed with her as long as you could. Also, keep in mind that William and Eliza Barry are not the most powerful people in that family. Aunt Jo is who you should be worried about.”

“Aunt Jo? She likes me very much.”

“Then definitely keep trying,” Gilbert smiled. “Moody, what happened with Ruby? All the details this time.”

“I think that she got angry when we were talking about the fair. I mentioned that I would be helping my mom in the morning and then exploring the fair with Charlie and then we could probably meet up with you and Anne for lunch and we spoke of dancing a bit when I don’t need to play in the band. And Ruby just got so angry by the time I was done talking and stormed away.”

“I don’t see a problem,” Jerry said, confused.

“You got me, I’m lost,” Gilbert added.

“So it’s not just you, Gilbert,” a deep voice said behind them, “None of you lads know a thing about women.”

“Shut up, Bash, we’re figuring it out,” Gilbert said, “And don’t sneak up on people.”

“But then how would I hear what is being said?” he laughed, “You courting this Ruby?” he asked Moody.

“Yes,” Moody answered hesitantly.

“If you have strong feelings for her, answer strongly. Moody, are you courting Ruby?”

“Yes, sir,” he said more assertively.

“I expect she would like you to ask her to go **with** you to the fair. Not just meet up with a group of friends. This is a very public event where you can announce your courtship to the entire community. I think that is why she was upset. She probably thinks you aren’t very serious about the courtship if you aren’t willing to go with her to the fair.”

“That kind of makes sense,” Gilbert added, “Ruby has dreamed of a truly proper courtship her entire life; you’ve heard her over the years, right? Maybe that would fix it, just ask her and see if that fixes things.”

“Thanks, Sebastian, I’ll do that. Gilbert, do you have anything you wanted to talk about? You said you were having issues with Anne.”

“No, no, no, no,” Sebastian said, “You two don’t even want to get into it with him if you couldn’t even solve that simple fair problem. This will be way past you, I promise. Plus, I need Gilbert at home, that’s why I came out to find him. Don’t worry; I can deal with this fool’s complaints.”

\---

“That was cute, you three boys sitting in the wreckage of Anne’s clubhouse griping about your girls. Very mature.”

“We weren’t griping. We don’t speak poorly about Anne, Ruby and Diana, we just needed advice.”

“Jerry is with Diana?” Sebastian said truly surprised. “There must be a shortage of eligible men in this town because those three girls are way too good for you three boys.”

“Maybe we’re just better than you think we are.”

Sebastian looked to truly consider it for a moment before saying, “No, I don’t think so. Tell me what happened with Anne.”

Gilbert told him about the trip and the dream and everything that he discussed with Anne.

“For just this one time, I don’t think you did anything wrong, and I agree that she may have overreacted a bit and shouldn’t have said you were marking your territory, but you should have waited and talked to her when she asked you to wait.”

“I know, but I didn’t want her to see me cry. Miss Stacy mentioned today that loved makes you vulnerable and I can’t say that I’m particularly fond of what it’s done to me. Anne has such a hold over me and I don’t think she gets it. She has no idea how easily her words hurt me.”

“And you don’t want her to?”

“I don’t know. It feels like she has too much power over me already.”

“That’s the power of love Gilbert. Vulnerability yes, but trust too. Trusting each other to care enough not to purposefully cause pain. I don’t think she meant to hurt you. But you said she was crying too, so it’s possible you hurt her as well. We all make mistakes and say things we don’t mean, or even say things we mean but the words come out wrong. You won’t know what happened unless you talk to her. But right now we need to eat. And then I need your help in the barn.”

\---

Gilbert fell into bed exhausted, he had wanted to go see Anne, but he honestly didn’t think he would make the journey to her house. He found though that while his body was exhausted, his mind was racing. He lay there for a couple hours when the door burst open and Anne stormed in.

“Anne, what are you doing here? It’s must be almost midnight.”

“I need to speak with you, please join me downstairs so we don’t wake your family.”

“Is this going to be a loud conversation?” he asked, clearly annoyed, as he sat up.

Through gritted teeth she responded, “It certainly has potential.”

“Let’s go outside then.”

After exiting the house, they walked for a bit so their voices couldn’t be heard in the house.

“I was surprised that you weren’t sleeping,” Anne began quietly.

“My body is exhausted, but my mind is not. How could I sleep knowing how we left things today?”

“Agreed. Look, I’m sorry Gilbert, I spent all evening trying to figure out why I accused you of attempting to mark your territory and I can’t come up with a conclusion. You’ve been nothing short of amazing to me and I was cruel to question your motives. I know you and I know you love me and that you respect me. I think maybe what was bothering me is that I’ve been thinking about how Matthew and you met in the barn yesterday after our little… fiasco… and I figure that it was regarding your, or rather our, intentions. I just don’t understand why I wasn’t part of it. If we are a team, why did Matthew only talk with you like my opinion doesn’t matter?”

“We weren’t negotiating the terms of an agreement, if that’s where your concern lies,” he said, probably more harshly than necessary. “Matthew is much more observant and astute than he lets on. He was wondering why I carry around a ring with me everywhere I go, but haven’t asked you to marry me yet.”

“You don’t carry around a ring,” she laughed.

He pulled out the pouch, dangled it in front of her face and then put it back in his pocket.

“You carry around a ring… everywhere you go?”

“Yes. Matthew could see it in my pocket. He knows that we intend on marrying someday, he’s just worried that he won’t be around to see it. He just wanted assurance that you would never again feel unwanted or unloved. I provided him with an acceptable answer and he said quite bluntly that we have his blessing and we will not be discussing the relationship again.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Um,” she began again somewhat awkwardly. Knowing that Gilbert Blythe stood before her with an engagement in his pocket was a lot to process. “What set you off today? You were fine yesterday. What truly got you concerned about me being alone at Queens?”

“I was too tired to even think yesterday, but I was first concerned as soon as Cole came downstairs on Monday morning and braced me for your entrance. But then I had a dream last night of you surrounded by all these impressive guys at Queens and it just got to me.”

“And you think I haven’t envisioned you surrounded by beautiful, intelligent women in Toronto? Gilbert, you had girls wrapped around your finger by the time you were what, fourteen? Maybe earlier? Look at you now!”

He deflected the comment, “It’s just that I know I want to marry you, so I figured, what would be the harm in a long engagement if it offered you a bit of protection and if we have both agreed that a life together is what we want.”

“Okay, I understand now why you said what you said and where your concerns lie, but I think the topic would have been better presented by first voicing your concern and then offering a pertinent solution.”

He laughed softly, “So you’re saying the problem was with the dissemination of information and not related to its content?”

“Precisely. And I know my words hurt you, and I’m sorry. Really I am, but you hurt me too, and I’m not sure that you even realize it. I think what hurt me most is when you said that I would need a reminder of you when you aren’t near me. Gilbert, I am truly afraid that I won’t do well in school because I will be thinking too much about you. I’m still right where I was two months ago: When I think about not seeing you every day, when I think about going on this next adventure without you, I don’t want to do it. And I find it infuriating that some stupid boy has affected me so.”

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically.

“You know what I mean. You will always be on my mind, probably to the detriment of my academic achievement. And you don’t need to worry about me finding a better match than you. I don’t really believe in soulmates, so theoretically there could be someone else out there who I might be happy with, but even my imagination can’t come up with a more ideal person for me than you. It’s taken me a while to get to this point, but I’m starting to accept that there are days where some people might consider me beautiful, especially if I’m all dressed up with my hair all fancy, but Gilbert, you saw me when I was nothing.”

“You were never nothing!”

“Exactly! Do you get it yet? You won’t lose me. You can’t.”

“Come here,” he said pulling her into a tight hug. After resting together for a minute, he continued, “It seems that we both claim the same amount of love and commitment but are slow to actually believe it is mirrored in the other.”

“It seems that’s the case, yes.”

He spoke softly into her ear, “I have received a lot of unsolicited advice today and the way I understand it is that relationships take work. Even the very best ones- and I think that we are learning that as we go. With or without an engagement, I think these next few years are going to be really hard at times. We have love, but love isn’t enough. I need to know, are you willing to fight for us, even when it’s hard? Are you willing to accept that things won’t be perfect all the time? I’m going to do everything I can to be the man you deserve but I’m going to screw up and I’m going to need your forgiveness and understanding. And I promise I fully intend to offer you the same allowances. I can’t imagine a better person that I would rather go through life with either. I still can’t believe that you are real because you are so much more than I thought was possible. Please tell me you’re willing to fight for us, Anne.”

How she loved when he hugged her like this. Like she was the only thing tethering him to this world. She pulled back, looked up at him and said, “I’ve fought for everything else in my life, seems stupid to stop now, especially when everything I want is standing right in front of me.” He leaned down to kiss her and she was surprised to find that the kiss was more similar to their first than any they had shared since. Their first kiss marked a change in the status of their relationship, as did this one. They weren’t yet engaged, that would come in time, but the relationship had been cemented in a way it hadn’t been before.

Gilbert walked her back to Green Gables, he tried to pull her in for a kiss, but she stopped him and sneezed.

“You’ve sneezed a lot today, are you coming down with a cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

He kissed her gently, “Goodnight Anne, good luck with your cake tomorrow.”

“I don’t need luck Gilbert, though I will need to start thinking about the wish you’re going to grant me.” She sneezed again.

“Get some sleep!” he commanded

“Yes, doctor.”


	5. Gilbert has an Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne gets a cold, Gilbert talks with Marilla and the cakes are baked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s a secret of mine: Like 70% of the time I don’t know where the story is going to go when I sit down to write. This is not veiled modesty, it is the truth and also the reason it takes me so long to update sometimes. Like for this chapter, as I write this note, I have about 500 words written and all I know is that Anne has a cold, both Gilbert and Anne will bake a cake today and something funny should probably happen because the last chapter was a little serious. While the freedom is nice, it also leaves me lacking in direction and sometimes I’m frustrated that I can’t come up with anything. You will not believe how many times it leads to the hypothetical deaths of our lovebirds. I don’t know why. It just happens. For instance, in the first chapter when Anne says, “Goodbye Matthew and Marilla! I love you and I will see you tomorrow night!” right after I wrote that I said aloud, “and they never saw her again…”
> 
> I don’t know why I share this with you, but it’s a terrible habit I have and I promise you I won’t kill of the kids.

When Anne woke on Thursday, her head was pounding and she couldn’t breathe through her nose. She groaned loudly in her bed, partly from being frustration, but mostly because Gilbert had been right and she definitely had a cold. She had been looking forward to crafting this cake for so long and was furious that today of all days, she was sick. One of her favorite things about baking was the delectable smells and she was bitter that she was going to miss out on that sensation this time. She rose from her bed, washed her face hoping that it would aid to clear her head but the effort was in vain. She plodded down the hall and down the stairs and fell into her spot at the table.

“That’ll teach you to sneak out in the middle of the night young lady,” Marilla scolded.

“I couldn’t sleep because Gilbert and I had an argument. I had to go apologize,” Anne explained. “If you heard me sneak out why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t hear you sneak out, I heard you sneak back in. Hardly anything I could do at that point. Don’t do it again. You are already engaging in plenty of compromising behavior and your luck won’t last if you continue.”

“Yes Marilla. I did consider that it was inappropriate and I even tried to convince myself that it could wait. But it couldn’t. I will try to resolve future disagreements before dusk in the future.”

Marilla laughed slightly, “That’s hardly something you can plan for but I appreciate the consideration.”

“I think the cold is a result of being so worn down from the beginning of the week though, I was sneezing all day long. I should have put it together and seen it coming. Gilbert did.”

“He’s nothing if not observant of you.”

“He’s nothing if not annoyingly right almost all the time. It’s my body; couldn’t I have just beaten him this one time?”

“You said he got a geometry question wrong yesterday that you answered correctly.”

“That didn’t even really count. He was just tired and couldn’t concentrate.”

Marilla set down the food on the table, “Matthew ate early to get out to the garden. Eat up, we have lots of baking to do and a limited amount of time in the day and space in the oven.”

\---

Marilla let Anne bake her cake in the morning. Anne wanted to do it completely on her own and appreciated that Marilla took the morning to take inventory of supplies and then headed into town to purchase what was needed for the following week. There was a brief tragedy when Anne sneezed and dropped the bottle of vanilla, causing the glass to shatter and the contents to splash across the floor, but she scoured the kitchen and found an extra bottle hiding on the back of the shelf. She sat impatiently at the table while the cake baked, her legs bouncing as she watched the clock. If she was being completely honest with herself, there was no reason that Gilbert couldn’t beat her in this competition and she was starting to regret the idea of betting on the outcome. Sure he was intelligent and he was a fast learner, but so was she. What he had that she didn’t was exceedingly good beginner’s luck. Even if her cake turned out perfect, there was a decent chance his would too, and then it would just come out to the preference of the judges. She thought for a bit about what wish she would have Gilbert grant for her, but also started mentally preparing herself to grant a wish for Gilbert.

When the time came, she leapt from the bench and went over and carefully removed the cake from the oven. She couldn’t believe her eyes, “It’s perfect!” she said to herself. Whether it was the cold, or the pride or remembering Mary, she couldn’t be sure, but she started crying. _Oh what a state I’m in._

She heard a light knock at the door before she saw Gilbert entering. _He would choose now to make an appearance_.

“Anne?”

“Gilbert,” she said tersely. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy. She was plenty comfortable around him by now, but really, did he need to see her like this?

“So you **are** sick,” he said in concern, though she also sensed some smugness at his prediction coming true.

“Obviously I’m sick, Gilbert,” she said angrily, “What, did you think I was chopping onions? Is there a reason you’re here? Are you looking for some last minute instruction or are you just trying to win our competition by distracting me?”

“Wow, okay, are you mad at me?”

“No,” she sighed and the tears started again, “I’m sorry, my head is just killing me and I can barely breathe, much less think and I just want to do Mary’s cake justice.”

“Come here, I bet I can help,” he said reaching his hand out to her.

She swatted his hand away and said with indignation, “I need to finish the cake!”

“It’s not yet noon and it’s already done baking. You know you need to let it cool in the pan for a bit anyway. Do you really think you need an entire day to finish it?”

“No,” she said reluctantly as she let him lead her to the living room and sat down on the floor with his legs crossed. “What are you doing? You look like an awkward, overgrown child sitting like that.”

“Lie down, rest your head in my lap and close your eyes,” he instructed. “This is going to seem a bit odd when you think about what I’m doing but it should help.”

She looked at him skeptically, “I have no idea what you are planning, but I’m getting nervous.”

He laughed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so cryptic. I’m just going to massage your face a bit. Relax.”

She followed his instructions and relaxed into him with her head resting on his legs. He began by gently rubbing her temples before moving on to massage her cheeks, forehead and the bridge of her nose.

“Oh my,” she sighed. “Why haven’t you done this before? This feels amazing.”

“Sorry, I didn’t realize face massage was on your list of secret desires,” he joked before explaining, “Your head hurts because of pressure in your sinuses.”

“You mean my nose?”

“No. There are cavities in your face, right here, here and here,” he said indicating the proper locations. “With a cold, your sinuses can become irritated and inflamed, causing the pressure you complained about. This will do nothing to cure you, but I thought it might feel good.”

“You’re so smart,” she sighed, “And you’re so right. It’s going to be so convenient being married to a doctor. You’re going to know how to fix everything.”

He laughed softly, “I wish. Just promise you won’t be mad when I can’t.”

“I promise,” she said dreamily.

“Is it strange that we talk about marriage so openly?” he wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer.

“I expect so, but I say what I think,” she whispered.

He laughed, “And I am so thankful for that.”

“Shh,” she said, “I’m sleeping.”

“If you need to rest, you should go up to your bed, or at least to the couch.”

“You’re just trying to win our competition,” she said sleepily. “I’ll sleep the day away and forget to finish my cake.”

He laughed. “I’ll stay and wake you in an hour. I’m trying to get you to feel better so we can go to the fair together tomorrow.”

“Ah, I see, so not only are you distracting me from my duties, but you’re also selfish.”

“If that means I get to spend the day with you tomorrow at the fair, then yes I am. Now rest up so I can beat you fair and square.”

She moved to the couch and curled up to get comfortable.

“Hey Carrots, do you mind if I go get a book from your room?”

“Mmm,” she replied softly.

“I’m going to take that as a yes. Thank you,” he said as he went to find something to read.

He hadn’t spent much time in her room and none without her being there with him. He took a moment to look around. It was immaculately clean, but there were bits of Anne’s personality everywhere. Dried flowers, a small collection of ribbons to tie her hair, and books in every nook that there could be without it being considered cluttered. He chuckled as his eyes came across the tiny dictionary he got her for Christmas that year he returned. He picked it up and opened it up to the message he had written and began reminiscing.

He bought it for her in New York, without even thinking about it. He had been browsing in a book store, happened upon it and it was like it told him that it belonged to her. There was no consideration as to how he would give it to her, or why, or the fact that it was odd that he spent a decent amount of money on a gift for a girl he had only spoken to a few times, and very few of those instances were without animosity. He had been relieved when Marilla had invited him and Bash over for Christmas dinner, providing him an opportunity to give it to her then without the scrutiny of their peers.

The inscription had been another matter entirely and had led to more discoveries about himself than he was comfortable with at the time. He remembered sitting there Christmas day internally analyzing why he got her the gift and why he felt compelled to write her a message to go along with it. Sebastian of course had teased him mercilessly and suggested he just tell her he loved her. Gilbert had been quick to respond with his ever predictable retort, “It’s not like that with Anne! She’s just a friend.” All things considered he thought even that was a generous depiction of their relationship at the time. This time though, he took the time to explain their competitive relationship to Bash and he smiled when wrote, ‘So you can beat me fair and square.’ He almost wrote ‘Love, Gilbert,’ but luckily he caught himself before it was too late. Of course, that was also when it became abundantly clear to him that he did, indeed, love her. He smiled at the memory and set the dictionary back down. It now seemed completely appropriate that he would figure out he loved her while looking at a dictionary.

“Gilbert?” he heard Marilla from the door. “What are you doing in here?”

“Anne said I could come up and get a book to read while she rests. I said I would wake her in a bit so she could get back to her cake. I apologize, I didn’t mean to linger. I uh,” he paused and shook his head, “I got this for her when I was in New York and I was just reminiscing.”

“In New York? Before you returned with Sebastian?”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “I remember it was like I was possessed, I didn’t even think about it, I just knew I needed to get it for her.”

“Do you mind me asking, did you think about her often while you were away?”

“More than I’d like to admit, if I’m being honest, especially considering I barely knew her. But at least now I know why I did.” The ribbons caught his eye, and he reached for a wide blue one. “Is it true?” he asked, “Did my father give this to you?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Hmm,” he considered, “It’s pretty. You kept it all this time?”

“I didn’t have many tokens of affection in my youth. I kept the ones that meant something. I think I intended them to be reminders of love, though eventually it only served to remind me of choices I wish I could have made differently.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you still wish you would have chosen differently?”

Marilla considered it for a bit. “Sometimes yes, but mostly no. There are times I think it would have been nice to be a mother, but I have come to the conclusion over the last few years, that I was put here on this earth at this time for Anne, and I am so grateful for it. I think even with all the pain and sorrow at times, everything happened how it was supposed to. Anne deserves some happiness after all she has been through and I’m happy that she has found a haven here in Avonlea. Had I married your father, you wouldn’t be here, and neither would she and there would be no Anne and Gilbert. And all that makes me sadder than thinking about whatever life I may have missed out on.”

He thought to himself for a minute before concluding, “You know, you probably knew him better than me.”

“A long time ago, yes, but not at the end. We weren’t close after you returned. Just polite neighbors.”

“I told myself that my father would have wanted me to travel, at least that he would have encouraged it, but I’m not sure that he would be happy that I’m abandoning the orchard that’s been in our family for so long.”

“Come Gilbert, let’s go downstairs. We can continue talking, but I need to get started on my plum puffs.” They walked downstairs together and he sat at the table as Marilla continued, “The way I see it, you aren’t abandoning the orchard. It’s your home, and you traveled the world to find a caretaker for it. Your father would be very proud of you, Gilbert. Not only for finding a future that you are passionate about, but for bringing a family back into your house again; for making it a home again. And not only are you supporting the orchard for another generation at least, but you have given a future to a family who otherwise would not have been so fortunate.”

“I’m still leaving though; I don’t think I’ll ever be coming back. Not to live here anyway.”

“And there is nothing wrong with that other than you will be sorely missed. Your father chased his dreams. I think he’d be disappointed if you didn’t do the same, even if it leads you away from Avonlea,” she had been gathering supplies but paused suddenly, contemplating, “You and I are not so different, did you know that? We both had wonderful childhoods until fate intervened, forcing our maturity before it’s time. But where I chose to let it limit me and my future, you found opportunity in the tragedy.”

“That is the most polite way I think I’ve heard someone say that I ran away,” he chuckled. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Marilla, I know if must not be your favorite thing to talk about.”

They were quiet for a minute while Marilla continued gathering what she needed. She walked over and sat down tentatively next to him, placing her hand on his which were folded together on the table.

“Gilbert, Anne mentioned that were feeling like a burden to us and I don’t want you to ever think that, do you understand? We expect you to come to us whenever you need something and for whatever reason, and even more than that, we **want** you to. You are our family, now more than ever. We care about you so much and not because of your relationship with Anne and not because of my past relationship with your father. **You** , Gilbert, are important to us on your own merit and we need you to know that. I know you have Sebastian, and now Hazel as your family, but we are here for you. I know I’m not prime parenting material, but I’m catching on, and I’m here if you need me.”

He smiled at her, “I think you’re better at it than you think you are.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks.”

“You may not think of yourself as such, but you are Anne’s mother in every way that matters, and I know that it would have changed everything, but I would have been lucky if you had been mine.”

“You shouldn’t say such things.”

“Why not? I’m sure we would have had a loving relationship had I known her, but I didn’t. And dad didn’t talk about her much. But you? You have been here for me. Unfailingly, ever since he died.”

“Please, I didn’t do anything that any decent person wouldn’t have done.”

“Marilla, you have been exceptional to me, you and Matthew both! You have gone way above general decency. You two alone were the only people in all of Avonlea who offered to help me after my dad died. And when you talked to me, it wasn’t in pity, in was with love and respect. Inviting me to Christmas dinner when I returned made me feel like I had family here, that Avonlea was still my home. And now, with my relationship with Anne, you both,” he paused for a bit, “It’s just so much more than I deserve and so much more than I thought was possible. There are days I still can’t believe I’m finally with Anne, and knowing that you two are so supportive, well it’s like you were saying: If all the pain brought me here, right now, it’s hard to be upset about it.”

“You have become quite an eloquent young man,” she said as she hugged him to her side.

He nodded and smirked, “I have to keep up with Anne.”

“Why don’t you go sit with her so I can get started?”

“Ah yes, the secret plum puffs. Can you make some extra?”

“When have you known me to make plum puffs and not have enough for you? There will be plenty to go around, I promise.”

“Thank you, Marilla,” he smiled at her before joining Anne.

\---

He didn’t need a book after all, being quite content just watching her sleep. He hadn’t started his cake yet, but there would be time for that later. He wasn’t worried about the cake. Anne had taught him well and he was confident in his abilities. The frosting was another concern though. Try as he might, it never came out quite right. It was fun to talk like he was so confident that he would win their bet, but he didn’t really think he had a chance.

“Are you watching me sleep?” he heard her say quietly.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re pretty and I love you.”

“You have a cake to bake.”

“Yes I do. Do you want to help?”

She laughed in response, “That would be me competing against me. And while I admit I would enjoy the challenge, that wasn’t the bet. Go home and bake your cake, Gilbert.”

Suddenly they heard a joyful holler from outside and all three of them rushed out of the house where Matthew proudly stood holding a giant radish above his head. None of them had ever seen Matthew smile so broadly. Marilla smiled and scoffed before heading inside, leaving Anne and Gilbert holding hands and laughing at the unbridled joy on display before them.

\---

Gilbert had successfully baked Mary’s cake that afternoon, which was no small feat considering Bash spent the whole time trying to distract him with irrelevant conversation and kept hiding the ingredients he needed whenever his back was turned.

“So, I see that you are borrowing cufflinks from Matthew?”

“Yes. It is customary to dress up for the fair and the shirt I plan to wear requires cufflinks.”

“You aren’t planning on doing anything stupid tomorrow are you?”

“I plan winning a baking competition and spending the day with my family and Anne.”

“That’s it?”

“And I plan on kissing her.”

“And?”

“And I plan on asking her to marry me.”

“Really?!” Sebastian stood quickly, knocking over the chair, half in elation and half in panic.

“No!” Gilbert yelled, “We’re going to the fair! Calm down! I’m not proposing to her tomorrow!”

“Why would you say that then?”

“Because I knew that’s what you were waiting to hear! Now do me a favor and stay out of it.”

“Oh, now we have Serious Gilbert. What’s going on?”

“I’m just sick of hearing about it.”

“About marrying Anne? Why should that bother you if it’s something you both want?”

“Because I want it so much, Bash; too much. It hurts to think about having to wait years to marry her. It is taking every ounce of restraint I have to not ask her to marry me now. And yesterday, and every day since she told me she loved me and that she wanted a future with me. I’m trying to do the right thing. We both have college ahead of us and we aren’t even courting officially yet. A proposal right now would cause a huge scandal. We love each other and we have agreed to marry when the time is right, some day in the future. And that is enough. Really it is. I know that it is,” he said trying to convince himself.

“But…”

“But with every passing comment from those around us indicating they expect a proposal, my resoluteness in my ability to wait is failing. Matthew noticed I carried around the ring and asked me why I haven’t proposed yet. The subject came up at school and even though half the people there don’t know we’re courting our engagement was discussed like an inevitability and no one was even surprised. So now it’s getting more tempting because it’s not just some far-fetched dream of mine. This could actually happen. This **is** actually happening. That and seeing Anne all dressed up got me to thinking; what would be so wrong with a long engagement?”

“How do you mean dressed up?”

“Like a woman, Bash. I know I’ve gone on and on about her beauty for years, but you have no idea how stunning she was. I’m fairly certain that if she wanted, she could have her choice of anyone at that school next year.”

“But she already chose you.”

“I know,” he said with a confident smile, “But the years apart are going to be difficult, and I just think it will be a nice reminder when things get hard, that I’m with her, even when I’m not physically with her.”

“And also keep some other men away from her?”

“Exactly, but before you go on calling me names, it’s not just because I would be jealous; it’s also for her safety, I did discuss this with her, I promise, though we didn’t really come to a decision yet. But, if we decide to proceed with the long engagement, hopefully it would help steer away unwanted attention.”

“Hopefully.”

There was a minute of silence and Sebastian could see Gilbert thinking hard about something.

“Hey Bash, that cookbook Anne made for Delphine, do you know if she mentions how to color frosting?”

“I think so, why?”

“I have an idea,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“Uh-oh. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?” he sounded concerned, but he was smiling widely.

“I don’t know, but I think Mary would find it really funny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit shorter than usual, I hope you still liked it okay. I've been crazy busy with work and remodeling our house so we can move in soon and I've just been to exhausted to write much.
> 
> I did not see that conversation with Marilla coming, but I like the idea of Gilbert having a mother figure in his life, and they really do have quite a bit in common, so this was fun for me. In the end there wasn't too much humor, but there will be at the fair if my plans pan out. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	6. Historical Precedent Would Suggest Otherwise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, fluffity, fluff, fluff, fluff.
> 
> The fair has come and a marvelous day is had by all. Mostly, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we all just agree that the most egregious error in this show was Matthew's radish not winning? That thing was substantially larger than my children when they were born. And I don't accept 'unusual.' That thing was obscenely large, it should have won its original category.
> 
> Yes, I borrowed a line from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
> 
> I hope you like it!

Gilbert had worked well into the night, eventually creating what he would proudly proclaim to be his greatest masterpiece. His lack of talent with making frosting was persistent, which could be expected since beyond fully covering the cake in an even layer of creamy white, he was trying to do something quite outside his abilities. The base layer of frosting had actually gone okay; it tasted good and did its job of covering the cake. But the specialty frosting was a whole different story. The first batch was too soft, the second was far too hard, the third tasted just dreadful (he had run to the sink to spit it out), but the fourth was, well honestly, it wasn’t great, but it was actually edible and it was the right consistency so he could form the shapes he needed to. Anne and Mary’s directions regarding food coloring were exquisite and performed the task exactly as expected and he was able to achieve the desired shades of blue, green and orange without issue.

Because he went to sleep so late, he accidentally slept in and was still dressing when he heard an urgent knock at the door. He went to answer it and found Anne, dressed up and out of breath, and continued buttoning his shirt.

“Wow,” he said after he opened the door, “You look amazing!”

“Gilbert. Hi. Thank you,” she said trying to catch her breath, “I’m sorry, I know you wanted to go to the fair together, but it just doesn’t make sense! We will have to meet you there. Between two cakes, plum puffs, the biggest radish in the history of the world, and Delphine and her pram, we just can’t get it all in one carriage!”

“Anne relax, I already figured as much, we’ll just meet you there, it’s fine.”

“You’re not mad? But you made such a fuss about going together!”

“I made a fuss about spending a day with you. I’m perfectly fine if we don’t share a carriage,” he said smiling. Anne also noticed that he seemed to be trying not to laugh.

“What’s going on? What are you up to?”

“Nothing!” he answered too quickly, his laughter coming to the surface, “I’m just excited for you to see my cake at the fair.”

“You’re rather odd sometimes, did you know?”

“Me? Odd?” he asked, shaking his head, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Yes, definitely. Also, you are an abysmal liar. I can tell that you’re keeping something from me.”

“I’m truly just excited about the cake. Are you feeling better?” he added, changing the subject.

“Much. Thank you. I slept most the day and I’m only the slightest bit stuffy today, honestly though I feel wonderful. Did you sleep well? You look tired.”

“I was just up late adding the finishing touches. You know how I struggle with frosting and it just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to.”

“Spreading across a cake?”

“More or less,” he smirked.

“I must say, you have me intrigued.”

“I just took your advice: Follow the recipe and don’t forget the secret recipe- love.” He barely finished the sentence before he just accepted it and let himself laugh.

“Gilbert Blythe what did you do?” she yelled jokingly. She was also having a hard time not laughing, it wasn’t often that he laughed so raucously and Anne found the beautiful sound quite contagious.

Through his laughter he said, “I just thought about what I loved most and an opportunity presented itself.”

“What. Did. You. Do? Let me in there right now,” she said, trying to make her way into the house.

“Nope, you have to wait, just like everybody else.”

She tried getting past him, but he was filling the doorway and not permitting her through.

“Anne you’re remarkably strong, but you’re tiny. You’re not going to be able to get past me, especially when I’m this motivated to keep this surprise from you.”

“Oh yeah?” she put her hands at his waist and started tickling him and he collapsed in on himself, his laughter turning into a giggle.

“Not fair!” he wheezed before finding the strength to wrap his arms around her and pick her up, carrying her down the steps and away from the house. “Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, you are a menace.”

“Put me down!” she scolded through her laughter. He sat her on top of the fence and pulled her head down so he could kiss her, his playful nature instantly replaced by urgent intensity.

“Mmmm,” she sighed into him, causing him to smile through the kiss, eventually reluctantly breaking apart from her.

“That was,” she cleared her throat, “that was nice.”

“Yeah?” he whispered.

“You are far too good at that,” she whispered.

He laughed, “You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” she said, “and I still want to see that cake.”

“And you will,” he said lowly, “In about an hour. So go get your family and we will meet you at the fair.”

“Maybe we could just stay here? Everyone else will be at the fair all day long and we could enjoy the freedom.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be suspicious at all, us being the only two on the entire island missing.”

She shrugged, “Maybe I don’t care.”

“Yeah?” he asked hopefully.

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

“Blythe! Release your girl! Let’s hitch up the horse!” he heard Sebastian shout from the window.

Gilbert kissed her softly once more, “I’ll see you soon, Carrots.”

“Bye Gil,” she said as she hopped off the fence and started walking away from him. She turned back and yelled, “Do you think you’ll win?”

He laughed and shook his head, looking at her in awe, “I don’t even care; I’m already planning on spending the rest of my life granting you any and every wish you have. Why not start now?”

\---

The two families ended up travelling to the fair together anyway since their carriages happened to get on the road at the same time. Anne had been sitting with Marilla and Matthew, but after Sebastian, Gilbert and Delphine’s carriage pulled up behind them she climbed over the seat and sat in the back facing them.

“Sebastian, did you see Gilbert’s cake?” she yelled back.

He smiled wide, “Yes, I did.”

“And?”

“And I think he was right. Mary would have found it very funny.”

“And what about me, will I think it’s funny?”

“I think that this boy would sooner start cutting off his own fingers than cause you pain,” Sebastian stated certainly and paused for a minute. “That being said though, he loves to get you all riled up.”

Gilbert burst out laughing while Marilla and Matthew pretended not to hear.

“Gilbert Blythe! Tell me what you did!” she yelled, genuine concern growing in the back of her mind.

Marilla cut in, “Anne Shirley Cuthbert, stop causing such a ruckus.”

Gilbert tried to reassure her, “Anne, you’ll see it in about twenty minutes, and I think you’ll like it.”

“Ugh! You’re killing me!” she said as she collapsed backward lying down in the carriage.

“Sit up Anne, you’ll ruin Diana’s dress,” Marilla scolded.

“I could burn it and her family wouldn’t even notice the loss.”

“Be that as it may, sit up and act your age. You are not ruining such a fine dress on my watch.”

Anne sat up and spent the remainder of the trip staring at Gilbert as he steered his horse, his ever-present smirk on his face challenging her whenever his eyes met hers.

\---

Anne proudly unpacked her cake in the tent where the contest was to be held.

“I must admit I’m surprised you made such a sensible cake,” Marilla commented, “It doesn’t have your usual flair.”

Anne held up two jars of decorations she had yet to apply to the cake and smiled.

“Ah, that seems more like it.”

She spent five minutes completing the decoration and just as she was finishing Gilbert brought his over and set it down next to hers.

“Wow, you made Barry’s Pond!” he said, clearly impressed.

“I made The Lake of Shining Waters. Calling it Barry’s Pond is entirely unromantic.”

“Regardless, that is fantastic. Very impressive,” he praised her.

“But not as impressive as yours?”

“No, yours is much more impressive than mine, but I still like mine better,” he said as he pulled off the cover.

“Gilbert Blythe you had me truly concerned!” she scolded as she swatted him in the stomach, “This is magnificent! Don’t get me wrong, you’re ridiculous, but this took true talent. I’m so proud of you!”

She looked thoroughly at his cake. Tiny carrots made of frosting adorned the side and on top he had created two large carrots, whose stems were tied together with a blue ribbon.

“Well, I had an amazing teacher,” he began, “though I’m not sure why you think I would intentionally do something that would cause you distress. Sebastian said riled up, not angry or embarrassed.”

“I don’t, not really, I just thought you were going to do something ridiculous, especially when you said you were thinking of what you loved most and an opportunity presented itself. I thought you were going to propose honestly, somehow using the cake.”

He was speaking low, “You actually think I would propose to you, in public, without even publicly courting, a week before the exams? Completely defeating the point of avoiding community scrutiny while preparing to take these future defining tests? Anne, why would I do that to you?”

“You wouldn’t, I’m sorry; I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I think I’m going to go with Marilla on this one- you are going to regret the license you give your imagination.”

Marilla came up to them and asked, “You two are going to walk around the fair for a bit?”

“Yes, we plan to meet up with some classmates and explore the fair together,” explained Gilbert.

“So you won’t be alone.”

“No Marilla, we won’t be alone causing concern and scandal aplenty,” Anne said sarcastically.

“Very well, we’ll see you both back here in a bit for the judging.”

\---

Gilbert had arranged for him and Anne, Moody, Ruby, Diana and Jerry to meet at the barn at around ten o’clock so they could spend time as couples without drawing too much attention. It was probably most helpful for Diana, whose parents wouldn’t think twice about Jerry’s presence if Anne was there as well. Ruby was beaming, so proud to be there on Moody’s arm. Gilbert was saddened that he couldn’t walk in a similar fashion with Anne. _One more week,_ he thought, _one more week and everyone can know._

It was apparent to the group that Diana was nearly completely smitten with Jerry, who had decided to spend what remaining time he had that summer proving to her what kind of man he could be, hoping that it would be enough. They all came upon Billy failing to impress Josie with a show of strength at a carnival game. Jerry decided to give it a go and after dinging the bell successfully on the first try, he had Diana pick out the prize she wanted and was granted a blinding smile in return. Her friends had never seen her so happy and care-free.

They continued walking and came upon a fortune teller’s tent. Anne looked at it clearly intrigued, but didn’t stop. As they passed it, she looked back a couple more times.

“Curious?” Gilbert asked her. “Do you want to look into the future to see what it holds?”

“No need,” she said confidently. “I think my money will be better spent elsewhere. What about you? Is your curiosity driving you to know what’s coming?”

“Pay to have a stranger pretend she knows anything about me and could possibly know what’s coming in my life? No thank you. I know enough about my future to keep me sated. The rest I look forward to coming in its proper turn.”

“Where is your sense of adventure?”

“My adventure is standing right beside me. I don’t need a stranger to tell me that.”

Anne blushed and looked away as she said, “You ought not to say such things to me when I can’t kiss you.”

“No one is stopping you, but yourself.”

“Even if everyone knew we were together it wouldn’t be permissible for me to just stand here and kiss you. You know that.”

“You’ve never let what is permissible prevent you from acting before, you always find a way to work around the rules, or completely ignore them. So I repeat: No one is stopping you but yourself.”

Anne turned toward Diana who was walking at her other side, “Diana would you please accidentally bump into me and push me toward Gilbert?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Diana looked confused.

“Just push me toward Gilbert please?”

“Okay?” Diana leaned toward Anne, pushing her hard toward Gilbert. Anne embraced the momentum and ‘accidentally’ kissed Gilbert on the cheek. It was over before Gilbert realized what had happened. It didn’t seem that anyone around them had noticed.

He looked at her in surprise, his mouth open.

“Do not challenge me, Gilbert Blythe,” she warned.

He smirked and said, “If you want to provide me with a reason to not challenge you that was not the way to do it.”

\---

They made it back to the tent just in time for the judging, which went agonizingly slow. When they got to Anne’s cake and she exclaimed impatiently, yet quietly, “Finally!”

“Wonderful presentation!” the first judge exclaimed, who looked truly impressed by Anne’s design.

“A little ostentatious for my liking,” said another condescendingly.

Anne rolled her eyes, “Absolutely no imagination in that one,” she muttered. Gilbert laughed.

They each took a large bite and seemed to enjoy themselves before their faces turned to disgust and one of them exclaimed; “It tastes like liniment!”

“What?!” Anne yelled.

Gilbert’s hand slid into hers, “Don’t run,” he whispered, “What’s going on?”

“I have no idea!” she said in utter bewilderment, her anger shifting suddenly to hysterical laughter.

Gilbert’s eyes went wide, “Wait, you didn’t throw the competition, did you?”

“How dare you even suggest such a thing, you know I would never!”

“You are one of the best bakers I know, what happened then?”

“I have no idea!” she said, cackling. “But you thought Mary would have found your cake funny? I think she would have found this hilarious,” she said confidently. She paused before saying quietly to herself, suddenly disappointed as she shook her head, “Only I could mess something up this enormously.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he said encouragingly, “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for what happened.”

They came to Gilbert’s cake next.

“Interesting decoration, perhaps it’s a carrot cake?”

“No, doesn’t seem to be,” said another as she cut the cake.

“Delicious, but I don’t understand the decoration,” said the cantankerous judge.

“Your lack of understanding it doesn’t mean it isn’t exquisitely executed,” said the kind one in wonder, “I think it’s beautiful.”

They all proclaimed the cake to be delicious, though the obnoxious one said she found it a bit dry. The other two just rolled their eyes and moved on to the next cake. Anne and Gilbert stuck around through the remainder of the contest until the ribbons were placed near the winning cakes. Gilbert received third place. They walked over slowly to retrieve it.

Gilbert picked up the ribbon and offered it to Anne saying, “This award belongs to you. You’re the one who taught me how to bake and it was your idea to bring Mary’s recipe to the fair in the first place.”

“I will not partake in such a ruse, Gilbert. You made the cake, you beat me, fair and square, and honestly I figured you probably would. My intentions were to do Mary’s cake justice, and it is abundantly clear that I did not achieve that goal,” she said quietly, it was clear she had let herself down; that she felt she let Mary down.

“Anne, what happened? Tell me how you made the cake,” Marilla arrived near them, quietly interrupting, “Did you use anything out of the ordinary? Did you try to do anything special for the occasion?”

“No! Her recipe is perfect! Why would I change it? The only thing slightly out of the ordinary is that I sneezed and dropped the bottle of vanilla! I found some more though, on the back of the shelf and everything was fine! I thought it would be, anyway.”

“Oh Anne, I’m afraid that’s my fault. I broke the liniment bottle ages ago and poured what was left into an old vanilla bottle.”

“And I couldn’t smell anything yesterday because I was so sick!”

“And I knew we would need more soon so I bought some when I went into town. When I couldn’t find the existing bottle, I just figured you had used it up and I used the new bottle,” Marilla added, “I’m so sorry Anne. You’ll have to try again next year; I know you could win this if you used the correct ingredients. Just think though, it could have been worse.”

“How, exactly?”

"Why, we could have had liniment cake AND liniment plum puffs! People would have thought we were out to get the judges!”

Matthew arrived next to them, beaming proudly, displaying his ribbon for largest vegetable.

“You finally beat him!” Marilla said, referencing Matthew’s old friend who he was always competing against in this category.

“Sure did. I dare say even he was impressed by the size of the radish, though I admit his second place cabbage was nothing to sneeze at.”

Gilbert wanted to place Matthew’s ribbon for largest vegetable on Anne, but decided this wasn’t the time.

“Matthew and Marilla? Would it be okay if Anne and I went up in the balloon? We’ll take Jerry and Diana too, if that would be okay?”

“You aren’t actually considering getting in that death trap!” Marilla scolded.

“Really Gilbert? That sounds delightful! Please Marilla? Matthew?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Matthew said, attempting to sway Marilla’s opinion.

“Fine, but if you die don’t come back and haunt me,” she said in jest.

\---

After convincing Diana’s mother that her presence in the balloon was warranted, they grabbed Jerry and made their way to the balloon, each of them climbing in eagerly. As they rose into the sky they were each giddy with laughter. Diana was clutching Jerry’s hand with nervous energy, their entwined fingers hidden behind the walls of the basket. Gilbert was attempting to not hold onto Anne’s hand as tightly as she was holding on to his. He figured that he was the guy, and stereotypes indicated he was supposed to be braver than the woman he was courting. He quickly concluded these were irrational thoughts brought on from his nerves though. He looked at her and remembered who he was with, and that he would never be as brave as she was, and held onto her hand for dear life, knowing he could do anything with her at his side. She beamed at him with the tightening of his grip. When they were in the air and out of sight, each couple enjoyed a kiss (or a few) while the balloon operator looked the other way, politely providing the privacy they were looking for.

Somehow the landing was scarier than the flight. They came down quickly and basket tipped over leading to a slightly disheveled pile of people.

“Sorry about that,” the operator smiled, “Hard to navigate the landings sometimes with the breeze that whips up over the cliff edges. Everyone okay?”

They all indicated they were fine, their moods still elevated by the rush of the journey, none of them caring that they just spilled out of a basket.

“There will be a carriage coming to collect the basket, baloon and us, if you care to wait, otherwise you can feel free to walk back to the fair, we’ve only come a couple miles, shouldn’t take too long at all.”

They all thanked him graciously and indicated they would be walking back to the fair. The couples separated a bit so they could talk privately. Anne couldn’t help but feel joy in her heart at seeing Diana so happy with Jerry. She could see why Diana could be captivated by him. Sure, to Anne, he was mostly an annoying brother, but he had been in awe of Diana since they had met, much like Gilbert had adored Anne, only Jerry was never subtle about it, often proclaiming quite boldly his interest and admiration of her. Now that she reciprocated his feelings, it didn’t seem like he was taking even a minute of their time together for granted.

“Anne, something you said is bothering me,” Gilbert said, interrupting her train of thought, “Why on earth would you think I could beat you at baking? You are a phenomenal baker and you should have been prepared to win that competition. I certainly thought you would. Had you been able to smell, I’m certain, it would have been you.”

She laughed softly, trying to not get upset at her failure, “You forget that you are infuriatingly good at everything you do, and I have a knack for screwing things up in monumental fashion.”

“One mistake does not constitute a propensity of bad luck,” he was quick to point out.

“Are you kidding me? One mistake? Gilbert, my whole life seems like a mistake sometimes! I can’t do anything right! Just once I wish that I had an ounce of luck; that when things could either go right or wrong for me I wouldn’t have to err on the side of disaster, she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with tears. “I mess everything up. I messed up when I met you, I messed things up with the girls when I met them, I got Diana drunk, I died my hair black, and then green and then I had to chop it all off, I wrote love letters to Jeanie for Matthew because I thought he was missing out on love, I didn’t catch the gold hoax even though all the clues were right there in front of me. I’m smart, I know I am, and it’s so frustrating to mess up all the time regardless.”

“First of all, I think we’ve determined that **I** messed up when we met, not you. And really, it was also my fault that the girls were mad at you. Diana getting drunk was an honest mistake. I maintain that hair fiasco is proper punishment for you trying to get rid of you glorious red hair and I hope you learned your lesson. The love letter thing was a bad call made with the best intentions, and the gold hoax was not on you. That was not your fault yet you still worked tirelessly to tell the town once you had figured it out. No one else put it together, only you.” He stopped talking and let her breathe for a minute. “Anne, you may make mistakes sometimes, we all do, but where some of us just let them lie, you always find a way to make things right. Always.”

“Historical precedent would suggest otherwise.”

“No it doesn’t. For better or worse, your heart doesn’t let you give up on things, Anne. But you expect so much from yourself, far too much at times, so it hurts that much more when you fail. I don’t think that you’re so much unlucky as that all your actions are so much bigger than the rest of ours. You take great risks, you do things to the fullest and while that can provide great rewards, it also hurts more when you don’t succeed. But I think if you don’t dare to take the big risks, if you’re not willing to fail once in a while, you’re going to miss out on some great accomplishments. The world is changed by risk takers, and I think we need people like you now more than ever.”

She took a deep breath and smiled up at him. “You always know exactly the right thing to say, don’t you?”

“Historical precedent would suggest otherwise,” he parroted, laughing as all their failed communication efforts came to the front of his mind.

“Too true,” she laughed.

\---

The walk back to the fair was delightful, and if anyone noticed that Anne and Gilbert arrived a full half hour after Jerry and Diana, no one mentioned anything, though Diana was quick to offer to pull Anne’s hair back, since it had somehow come untied and rather unkempt. The six of them met up as a group again, sharing various novelty treats they had found throughout the fair. Moody’s face when he tried a sour candy was something the rest of them mocked for the remainder of the day and they all erupted in laughter when perfect little Ruby swore after trying something that was spicy. Anne and Gilbert had tried to warn her, understanding that their tolerance and appreciation for spice had grown since Sebastian’s arrival, but Ruby did not heed their warning, too excited to try something new and to prove her bravery, and unfortunately took a giant bite of the spicy treat. Moody rushed to give her some water, which only made it worse, before Gilbert offered her some milk, which finally calmed the sensation.

“You two thought that was good? What is the matter with you? Are you crazy? I can’t even feel my tongue anymore!”

“It’ll get better, I promise Rubes,” Anne encouraged.

“Ugh, you two are just…”

“Just what, Ruby?” Diana asked, truly curious.

Ruby just giggled, “I just don’t know how I didn’t see it years ago. It was always going to be you two, wasn’t it?”

“Oh don’t feel bad for not noticing Ruby, Anne didn’t see it coming either,” Gilbert said in as sincere a voice as he was able to pull off.

“Yes, yes, Anne is slow and doesn’t understand social cues, very funny. Can we move on? In my defense I was forbidden from seeing by **someone’s** ridiculous dibs over said boy.”

“You’re right Anne, we should move on,” Ruby stated as the group laughed.

\---

Before the dance that evening, Charlie found Anne and asked for a dance.

“I’m sorry, Charlie, I’m dancing with Gilbert tonight, but I’m sure there are plenty of other girls here who would be honored to dance with you.”

“You’re dancing with Gilbert all night?” he said in disbelief.

“Yes, do you have a problem with that?” Anne said, trying so hard to keep her amiable tone.

“Are you courting or not?” he challenged her.

“Our relationship is what it always has been: None of your concern.”

 **“** If you’re not courting, then I’m entitled to a dance.”

She grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him down to meet her eyes, “You are entitled to **nothing**. My body; my rules. This remains true regardless of my courting status. If I don’t want to dance with you, that is reason enough, you can’t force me to do something I don’t want to do. Let that sink in before you even consider approaching another for a dance.”

What she had said looked like it shocked Charlie to his core, “You’re… you’re right, Anne. I’m… I’m sorry. Truly.”

“Apology accepted. Enjoy your evening,” she said as she walked away.

Her sour mood was dispelled instantly when she began dancing with Gilbert. Often her past experiences weighed on her, even though she had been living happily for a few years now. She found that when she was dancing though, her memories released her, and she was just living in the present, simply existing with Gilbert, who clearly loved her so much and would do nothing to cause her the pain like that which would still sometimes haunt her at night. There was no dark past when she was dancing; there was no unknown future regarding if or when they would be married. She was just happy. Unabashedly, completely and blissfully happy. She was still entranced when Gilbert asked for the third time if she would like to get a drink and step outside for a while. She agreed and they headed outside into the cooler air, along with Jerry and Diana.

They were discussing Anne’s refusal of Charlie when they heard a scream around the corner. Gilbert and Jerry ran off to investigate without even thinking, Anne and Diana following closely behind.

“Billy!” Gilbert yelled, “She said stop. Leave her alone.”

“She didn’t mean it Blythe, if she didn’t want this, she wouldn’t have come out here with me.”

“Josie, do you want to head back inside?” Anne asked.

“Yes, please.”

“No, she’s here with me Fido, you can leave now.”

Diana spoke up assertively, “You’re telling me, Billy Andrews, that you suggest that we all either leave you alone with Josie, who is clearly not interested in your company or your advances or proceed to watch you attack her? Because that is clearly what you are doing. There are four of us here watching this play out. Do you see this ending well for you? Because I don’t. I’ve known you your whole life and I know what you are planning to do. You intend to either get what you want from Josie or you will go in there and tell everyone that you already have, ruining her reputation and her chance at finding someone better than you and I assure you that we won’t stand for that. It’s five against one, Andrews, and we all know you’re stupid but even you can do that math.”

“Who do you think you are Diana, standing here with two orphans and an Acadian? What gives you the right to speak to me like that?”

“You forget yourself Billy. I am a Barry; you know how much weight that holds on this island. This Acadian has more integrity, respect and drive than you could ever comprehend, though I don’t suppose that says much considering your limited intellect. And as for these two orphans? They are the most kindhearted and intelligent people this island has ever produced. Gilbert has essentially been guaranteed a spot at the University in Toronto and Anne not only is leading the class, but has learned in three years what the rest of us have learned in ten. What have you accomplished Billy? You left school to run your father’s business, yes? Well, from what I hear, the enterprise is going to Prissy, who has made quite the name for herself in Charlottetown. And no, your father wasn’t initially very fond of the idea. But your mother has always been behind Prissy’s education and advancement, even silently cheering when she ran out on her wedding. Sure, the man is the head of the house, but the woman? She is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants. When your father considered Prissy or the alternative? That’s you by the way, if you’re having trouble keeping up, well, what would you expect him to do when his legacy is at stake?”

Billy was struck down by Diana’s words. Having release Josie from his grip, she went to stand behind Gilbert who asked her if she was okay.

“Yes, thank you,” she said quietly.

“You may leave,” Diana dismissed him, “And if I hear so much as a whisper against Josie’s reputation, you will rue every remark until the end of time. Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“Leave!” she yelled and pointed away from the barn. Billy ran off into the night as Josie tried not to cry. Diana and Anne pulled her into a tight hug and she could contain herself no longer, her tears flowing freely.

“Why did you stand up for me? After everything you said about not being my friend? Why wouldn’t you just walk away?” Josie asked, baffled by the loyalty Diana had shown her.

“Josie, regardless of my temporary anger toward you, I’m not going to stand by and watch you get destroyed; watch your future shatter before you; watch you be hurt irrevocably. We don’t always agree, but you don’t deserve to be attacked, no one does. If you say no, you deserve to be listened to, especially if you’ve said no to someone you liked, someone you thought you could trust. You deserve to find someone who will listen to you, who loves you and respects you, and when you do, **that** is when you will be okay with advancing the physical aspect of your relationship.”

Josie had never seen the Acadian before and wasn’t quite sure how he fit into the group before her, but when she was released from the hug, she noticed that Gilbert was at Anne’s side almost instantly, not in a possessive manner, but in a supportive manner. She could tell just from their posture that they were stronger together than they were apart, and that was saying something because they were pretty damn strong when they were apart. She looked at them for a long time, considering their history together and their friendship. How they pushed each other to be better, how they challenged each other and disagreed, but never let it break down whatever it was that was tying them together. It was a relationship built on mutual respect and admiration, each of them clearly believing they were the lucky one in the relationship, and it made her heart ache. She never felt that for Billy. Billy treated her like she should be lucky to be with him, and she had accepted it. But no more. Her eyes eventually caught Anne’s.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell me one thing?”

“Of course, Josie, anything,” Anne responded earnestly.

“How does it feel?”

“Pardon?”

She took a deep breath, “How does it feel when you find the right person? When the person you’re with thinks you are the only thing that matters? How does it feel to be loved by someone you admire so greatly?”

“It feels like the final piece of the puzzle has been found after I thought I burned it and threw it in the ocean. It feels simultaneously like euphoria and peace. It feels like home.”

Josie sniffed and shook her head, not being able to imagine that scenario applying to her life, “You two are very lucky,” she said.

“We know,” they answered in unison, Gilbert’s hand finding its place in Anne’s.

\---

Matthew, Marilla, Sebastian and Delphine had left early in the evening, allowing Gilbert to drive Anne, Diana and Jerry home after the dance. After dropping off Jerry and then Diana, Anne and Gilbert took the carriage to the cliff where they sat together for a bit looking up at the stars in the sky, the warm ocean breeze skimming over them. Gilbert put his arm around her and she rested her head in the crook of his neck, placing he hand gently on his chest.

“Well, Gilbert, you won fair and square. What wish am I granting you?”

“Tea.”

She looked up in surprise, “Tea?”

“Tea.”

“I’m to make you tea?” she laid her head back down.

“No. The exams are next Saturday. On Monday, I want to take you to tea, like a proper courting couple.”

She laughed, “Gilbert, I would go to tea with you regardless, you don’t need to waste your wish on that.”

He continued, “After I take you to tea, like a proper couple, we’re going to do something fun.”

“Are you saying that you don’t think having tea will be fun?”

“I’m saying that if we have tea like we are supposed to, you will be bored out of your mind, but I’m sure that we can figure out a way to make it bearable.”

“So why would we go if it is going to be so awful?”

“Just to prove that I know how to do things properly.”

“Is this a concern of yours?”

“Kind of, yeah, I just need to prove that we can do things properly, before we start doing things improperly.”

She cleared her throat, “Pardon?”

“We will be spending that Monday together, and all you need know about it is that it will start with a boring trip to a tea house. The rest of the day will remain a surprise. You will have to trust me and I don’t want you to ask me any questions about it this week. THAT is my wish.”

“You’re wishing for blind trust?”

“No, I’m wishing for you to grant me the trust I think I’ve earned over the past three years.”

“You really think I don’t trust you?”

“I think you want to, and I think you know you can, and I think you tell yourself to, but there is something holding you back. In no realm of your imagination should you have thought I would publicly propose to you, especially today when I know how important it is to you to wait until after the examinations to announce our courtship. And it’s understandable considering your past, Anne, and I’m never going to hold that against you, but please, let’s start with just one week. Just to practice for next year. I can’t leave you at Queens knowing that you don’t completely trust me. Just trust me for one week.”

“I do trust you Gilbert. When these thoughts creep up in my mind, I’m the first one to point out how irrational they are.”

“So, let’s see if we can quiet the thoughts, hmm? Do you think it’s worth a shot for some peace of mind?”

“I do,” she said confidently. “Consider your wish granted. I will trust you to plan an outing together that we will both thoroughly enjoy and I will enjoy the mystery surrounding the preparation of the day and not bother you with my incessant questions.”

“Excellent. What was your wish going to be?”

“I didn’t come up with one. Figured in the unlikely event that I would beat you I would come up with something then. Turns out I was wise not to waste my time.”

“That’s disappointing, I was looking forward to hearing your wish, then I could have an insight into your secret desires.”

“I have no secret desires,” she laughed, “I desire two things: a good test score so I can go to Queens and you.”

Gilbert chuckled softly and then they were quiet for a bit before Gilbert began speaking again, “Anne, I just need to know, after your conversation with Charlie and what we saw with Josie and Billy, do you feel safe with me?”

She removed herself from him abruptly, “What?”

“I just want to be sure, I don’t want you to ever feel obligated to do anything you don’t want to and I certainly don’t want to force you into anything you’re uncomfortable with-”

Anne interrupted him, “I think I’ve made it quite clear that if I’m feeling disrespected, the person responsible will know almost immediately. I appreciate your consideration Gilbert, but I assure you that you have never done anything that has made me feel uncomfortable and you have certainly not forced me into anything. I’m with you because I want to be and if I could I would be with you much more frequently than I’m currently able. And to answer your first question, I have never felt as safe as I do when I’m in your arms.”

She could see his eyes glisten in the moonlight. “Nope, no tears,” she said playfully, “Kiss me.”

He didn’t need her to ask twice. He lifted her into in his lap and attempted to put everything he was feeling into a kiss. He wasn’t sure how he was going to last another week; the power of his feelings for her was becoming overwhelming. Months ago he had thought she occupied as much of his mind and heart as she possibly could. He was so wrong.


	7. It's a Spider Bite...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne faces the repercussions of her actions (or rather, Gilbert's actions), there is a meeting of the Avonlea Gazette, and we get a mention of the beach incident again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at the end of the first draft: Oh, only 2,500 words. Neat! I don't think I've had a chapter this short before.  
> Me after the reread and edit: 5,974. Oops. 
> 
> I don't think I've ever updated this quickly in this series. You're welcome. I have no idea how plausible any of this is considering what was proper at the time, but regardless, this was a lot of fun to write and it just kind of wrote itself (hence the quick update). And also, this is fanfiction so: NO RULES! I hope you like it!

Anne arose reluctantly for her morning chores, having stayed out far too late with Gilbert.

“What time did you get home last night, Anne?” Marilla asked as Anne slowly entered the kitchen.

“I’m not sure; I didn’t look at the clock when I returned.”

Marilla looked at Anne and her eyes went wide in horror, “And what pray tell were you doing?!”

Anne was shocked at her sudden change in tone, “Nothing! We stayed through the end of the dance, talked for a while after, and then we dropped off Jerry, and then Diana and then Gilbert and I went to sit by the ocean for a bit to discuss the terms of our deal regarding the cake competition. I know I was late, but I’m sure I was back by midnight!”

“It is not the hour that concerns me, child!” she chastised as she grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs to the mirror in her room. “Care to explain what **that** is from? The warm salt air perhaps? Too much dancing?”

Marilla had pointed to a few small but very dark bruises on Anne’s neck.

“Oh my goodness! What’s wrong with me?” Anne exclaimed, shocked by the marks on her neck and expecting them to mean the worst. “Am I sick? Am I marked for death?”

Marilla scoffed “Anne Shirley, can you honestly not figure out where those marks came from? Because I could fathom a guess,” she said rolling her eyes. From time to time she was astounded how someone who was so intelligent couldn’t put two and two together.

“I assure you Marilla, I feel well! I’m tired, certainly, but not so tired as to succumb to some wretched disease! What is happening?”

Marilla took pity on Anne and brought her in for a hug, “Once again, dear child, you aren’t dying. This is just a consequence from your time spent in Gilbert’s company last night.”

“This is Gilbert’s fault?” she asked.

“You’re both responsible dear, but I certainly hope Gilbert was involved otherwise you will have even more to answer for and I dare say it won’t end well for anyone. Did you enjoy yourself at least? Because you’re going to have to live with the consequences for a few days.”

Anne slowly pieced together the marks on her neck with the amount of time Gilbert’s mouth had spent there. “ **Days**?!? From a kiss?!?”

“Yes, Anne. That is the result of getting lost in the moment sometimes. Now I suggest you find whatever item of clothing has the best chance of covering your neck and maybe consider wearing your hair down. Beyond that there isn’t much you can do, I’m afraid.”

“So, people know? Everyone will know what these marks are from?” Anne said, terrified.

“All adults, yes, and I suppose most of your classmates as well.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Anne said nervously.

“No you won’t. Need I remind you that you nearly bit his lip off and threw him in the river only a couple months ago?”

“You needn’t! And even so, we could pass that off as something else, kind of. Apparently there is no room for this to be misconstrued as something else though?”

“Sorry, but I’m afraid that’s unlikely. Too many people have experience being unable to hide these marks that I fear all the excuses have been used up.” Marilla looked at Anne, who was clearly entering what she would consider the depths of despair, so she decided to try and cheer her up. “You didn’t answer me Anne, did you enjoy yourself?”

Anne thought about her evening with Gilbert and a scarlet blush rose to her face as she bit her lip. “Quite,” she answered demurely, as she went to find some article of clothing that might be able to conceal her behavior from the previous night.

\---

She came down the stairs a few minutes later with her hair down wearing her highest necked blouse and a skirt.

“That’s not so bad,” Marilla confirmed regarding her clothing and hair. “Good choice.”

Anne went out and completed her chores and came in to eat a quick breakfast, clearly in a bad mood with the predicament she found herself in.

“Now Anne, it’s not so bad, really. With any luck, no one will even notice.”

“With any luck?” Anne snapped. “Marilla, I don’t have luck. Not good luck anyway. Maybe I should just stay home and skip the gazette meeting.”

“Well then they will certainly know something is amiss. Just keep your hair in front of your shoulders and it will be fine. I can only see it because I know it’s there and I’m looking for it.”

“Thank you Marilla,” Anne said quietly. “You’re not mad at me for my behavior?”

“Not mad, no; a bit disappointed. We’ve been over this time and time again, Anne, you are not being as careful as I would like you to be. People are catching on, that there is something between you two. They don’t know what it is, but they are paying attention. You need to be more careful and this is not the way to do it. If it continues, you will need a chaperone, do you understand?”

“Yes, Marilla, I understand, and I’m sorry. Really,” she stated solemnly.

“Thank you Anne. I appreciate that you are finally taking this seriously.”

“I am, Marilla. I will, I promise,” Anne said.

“Now get going, you’re meant to meet Gilbert at his house at half past, yes?”

“Yes. Thank you,” she said as she rose and walked toward the door. “Just one question,” she asked with a sneaky smile, “Was it perhaps the elder Blythe who taught you what these marks were?”

“That is none of your business, young lady,” Marilla said as she turned away and busied herself with the dishes.

“That’s a yes,” Anne laughed as she quickly closed the door behind her before Marilla could respond.

\---

Anne knocked incessantly at Gilbert’s front door until someone answered and immediately regretted her behavior upon seeing Hazel.

“Good morning, Miss Hazel. I apologize for my persistent knocking, but I’m a bit upset. I’m here to see Gilbert. Is he ready?”

“Good morning, Anne.”

“Anne!” she heard Sebastian call out, interrupting his mother. Hazel moved back into the kitchen as Anne entered the house to greet Sebastian.

“Good morning, Sebastian,” she greeted him in a much more subdued manner than usual.

“Woah, what has Gilbert done now?” he said on a chuckle.

She looked toward the kitchen to be sure Hazel was out of sight before throwing her hair over her shoulder and pulling down the collar of her blouse. Sebastian burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny!” Anne whisper-yelled. “Shouldn’t kissing come with a warning?”

“That’s a bit more than kissing,” he answered quietly through his laughter as Gilbert entered the room.

“You!” she glowered at him, “Did you know this would be the result of your affection last night?”

He smiled at her mischievously.

“Gilbert Blythe!” she yelled as she lunged for him. In response, he stepped behind Sebastian, using him as a barrier between them.

“Now wait just a minute! Before you hurt me, let me explain. I knew it was a possibility, but I thought I was being careful,” he said, peaking around Sebastian. He was trying not to smile, he really was, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he appreciated the sight of those marks on her neck.

“Not careful enough!” she scolded in rage.

“Oh, Anne, it could have been so much worse,” he laughed, “You cannot even begin to comprehend how much I was holding back.”

Sebastian barked with laughter at Gilbert’s comment. He liked this cheeky guy who was unleashed under Anne’s influence. Anne was considerably less amused and started chasing Gilbert around Sebastian in the small room.

“And as I recall!” he yelled through his laughter, “You weren’t complaining last night!”

“That is not the point at all!”

“That’s totally the point!” he said, still laughing, “I would have stopped at any time but you never said anything!”

“Had I known what you were doing, I would have!”

“No you wouldn’t have, you didn’t say anything, but I heard you, you were having a great time,” he teased and had the audacity to look back at her and wink.

“And I would have thought differently had I known it would result in my disfigurement!”

He stopped suddenly, turned around and caught her as she ran into him. He wrapped his arms around her as they stumbled back from the momentum.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized sincerely and he said and he kissed the top of her head, “I really didn’t realize you didn’t know what the result could be, but no one will even notice. Bash, you ought to know, what’s an excuse for a hickey?” He released her from his hold, but kept his arm resting on her shoulders.

“This time of year?” Sebastian considered thoughtfully, jokingly bringing his finger and thumb to his chin to show that he was truly pondering over the information requested. “You react terribly to bug bites, don’t you Anne? Only part of one of the marks is visible with your collar up and your hair pulled in front. And even then, it’s hard to see. He did a good job, really. I’m actually impressed, it being his first time and all.”

Gilbert smiled and nodded in appreciation of the compliment and formally stated, “Thank you, Mr. LaCroix.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Blythe,” Sebastian chuckled.

Anne rolled her eyes, “You two are ridiculous.”

“Hey, I’m only trying to help! If you don’t need me, I’ll go,” he said, feigning insult.

“Sebastian, help me!” she begged.

“You know I’ll always help you, Anne,” he said smiling, “If anyone asks, which I doubt they will, I would say you are reacting to a suspected spider bite.”

“And they’ll believe that?”

Sebastian shrugged, “If they want to. I’ve seen folk bruise from spider bites, so it’s not unreasonable, but you know as well as anyone Anne, people will think what they want to think. It’ll help though that people don’t know the extent of your relationship- most people anyway. They’d be less likely to believe you if they knew you were courting.”

“Well at least we have that going for us then,” Anne responded calmly. “Thank you Sebastian. Are you ready to go Gilbert? I have something I’d like to discuss with you on the way.”

“Yeah, I’ll get my bag.”

\---

They discussed Anne’s idea and decided to stop by Josie’s house before their meeting. On their way there, Gilbert tentatively revisited their conversation from the morning.

“Are you mad, Anne? I really am sorry that we you weren’t aware of what could happen. I shouldn’t have assumed you knew.”

‘’Its fine, Gilbert, really. Mostly I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know what the marks were from. I flew into a fit thinking I was dying, just like when- never mind. Regardless, I felt like a fool and it took me so long to put it together. Bash and Marilla were right though, you can barely see it and I think Bash’s excuse could work. I’ve bruised from bites before.”

“Anne-”

“And from so many other things; you know how clumsy I am. And I don’t even care if our friends know, it’s not like I’m some harlot, and Sebastian was right, the people who don’t know about our relationship certainly wouldn’t assume it is what it is, because who would have done such a thing? And even if they figured it out, would it be so terrible? We are in a committed relationship, it’s not like we were just bored and thought we would find out what would happen if you sucked on my neck.”

“Anne-”

“No. It doesn’t matter. No need to dwell on it anymore, I doubt it will even come up at the meeting. We will just go and be on our way. We have a job to do and we will get it done. That’ll be that and hopefully the marks will have diminished at least a bit by tomorrow and maybe entirely by Monday! And I can just keep my head down at church, I’m plenty used to that. And if anyone-”

Gilbert looked around to see if anyone was in sight and then placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in firmly to kiss her. When he backed away he asked, “Are you done?”

She cleared her throat and said, “Yes, thank you, I kind of got lost there.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing your thoughts, but not if it’s clearly causing you turmoil. But I agree, everything will be fine.” They came upon Josie’s house. “I’ll wait for you here; I think it’s best if you speak with her alone.”

“Agreed.”

\---

“Good morning, Mrs. Pye, may I please speak with Josie?”

“Josie isn’t feeling well, I will tell her you stopped by, Anne.”

“That’s actually why I stopped by; I just wanted to check in on her. Is she doing alright?”

“I’m sure she will be well soon. Good day,” she finished before firmly closing the door. Anne walked away dejected but soon heard someone running after her as she neared the trees.

“Anne!” she heard Josie call quietly.

Anne turned toward the voice, “Josie! How are you doing this morning?”

“I’m okay,” she said hesitantly, “Just upset. And embarrassed. I’m not exactly up for the merriment of the newspaper this morning. You really just stopped to check on me?”

“That’s half the reason. I don’t think you heard, but yesterday someone told me that since, to the best of his knowledge, I wasn’t courting anyone he was therefore entitled to a dance with me. Between that and the other events of the evening, I thought it might be worthwhile to write an article about bodily autonomy and the true value of women. What do you think?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked. Not disinterested, just truly confused.

“I think we should write about how women are valuable, not just in relationship to a man, but by their own merit and how when we say no to something or someone, that should be accepted without requiring an explanation. Our choice should be valid on its own, even if it isn’t what someone wants to hear. Gilbert was telling me all about these women he’s treated in Charlottetown who have refused advances, sometimes from friends or even their husbands, and the abuse they have suffered as a result from simply saying no is horrific.”

“So write about it, why do you care what I think?”

“I just didn’t want it to upset you. Not that I would dare use your name and no one even knows what happened so they wouldn’t think that it is in response to any particular event, so I think we’ll be okay in that regard, but also, I would like your help, if you’d like to contribute.”

“Write whatever you want Anne, I’m not sure that I’d be much help, you’re obviously the better writer, not me.”

“But I know you have opinions on this Josie, and I think the words we write would have more weight coming from someone who understands.” Josie looked skeptical at this, so Anne continued, “How about this? Would it be okay if I stopped by later so you can review what we write during our meeting today? Then, if you have anything to add or change we can take care of it privately.”

“That would be fine. Not here though. I will come to your place after lunch. Is that alright?”

“More than. Thank you, Josie. I’ll see you later,” she said as she turned and left.

“How’d it go?” Gilbert asked her as she met him back at the path where he had been waiting.

“Not great, but it’s Josie, so I guess better than expected. That was a good idea though, checking in with her before writing about the issue. I certainly wouldn’t want to make things worse. She said she didn’t want to help, though she’s going to come by later so we can review it together before printing it.”

“Are you going to talk to her about keeping our secret?

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll come up.”

\---

“So reporters, what are we writing about?” Miss Stacy asked the group.

Anne spoke up quickly, “I think we should write an article on bodily autonomy. Specifically a woman’s right to make decision regarding her body and to be heard when she says no.”

Miss Stacy winced, “Are you sure Anne? This is an extremely sensitive subject, and while I agree with you, this town is **very** traditional and something like this may cause quite a stir. You’ll remember how scandalous it was when I showed up unmarried, on a motorbike and wearing pants? I daresay this could be akin to if I had arrived in a corset and married to a black man.” There was a collective gasp from the students. She smiled, “My apologies, just proving my point. Now I’m not saying don’t do it, but tread carefully, you truly don’t know what could happen when you bring topics like this to the forefront.”

“I think it’s worth the risk,” Gilbert saidd, “I have seen far too many women at the clinic who have been injured for speaking up for themselves. It’s not fair. No one should be coerced or forced into something to appease the dominant party or feel she needs to subscribe to what society thinks her proper role is in a relationship. She should be able to dictate her actions and behavior for herself depending on her level of trust and comfort.”

“I agree,” Charlie added to the shock of his classmates. “I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, and it seems that everything I’ve been taught regarding women is wrong. Or maybe if it’s not necessarily wrong, at the very least, it isn’t the only way things are done anymore. If we don’t bring the issue forward, even if it’s hard, no one will learn anything, and nothing will ever change.”

“I concur,” said Diana, “I for one am currently fighting a tradition where I am to be essentially auctioned off to the highest bidder and I do not consent, and it currently seems likely that I am powerless to change the situation. Though I assure you I am trying. If change is what we want, we need to take the risk.”

“Gilbert was actually just saying that the other day,” Anne added. “If we don’t take big risks, we are going to miss the opportunity for big accomplishments. The world is changed by risk takers. Why not start here?”

“Very well,” Miss Stacy said proudly. “It seems we have consensus. Anne, Gilbert, Charlie and Diana: why don’t you work together on that article? The rest of you divide up into pairs and cover the big wins at the fair, the dance, and anything else you think is worth mentioning regarding the fair. Not much else to cover these days.”

\---

The morning passed quickly. When the meeting had concluded, Anne and Gilbert walked back and enjoyed lunch at Green Gables. Josie knocked on the door just as they were finishing.

“Come on in Josie!” Anne called out as Gilbert stood.

Josie entered somewhat tentatively, having not spent time alone with Anne before, or Gilbert, for that matter.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Gilbert said as he headed toward the door.

“You don’t need to leave, Gilbert, I don’t expect I’ll stay long.”

“I actually do need to leave; I need to get to Charlottetown. I told Doctor Ward I would be in by two today, and I still need to stop back home. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late. Have a good day, ladies,” he said politely, nodding his head in deference to them both.

“Bye, Gil,” Anne said casually.

“Bye, Gilbert,” Josie said as she watched him leave. “He’s annoyingly polite sometimes, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I absolutely agree. He’s too polite nearly all the time, not just sometimes. But the most obnoxious part of it all is that he’s not trying to be, it’s just the way he is. It’s just one of the many reasons that the people of this town think he can do no wrong. It bothers him actually, people thinking he’s so perfect, but he does nothing to dispel the rumors, so I say it’s his own fault.” Josie laughed at Anne’s frankness and received a smile in return.

“Wouldn’t admitting your relationship assist him in that?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, I actually didn’t mean that in a cruel way. I only mean that it’s unexpected that he would choose to be with you.”

Anne raised her eyebrows at her.

“What I mean is that-”

“Just read the article, Josie,” she said, handing her the piece of paper, “This is what Diana, Charlie, Gilbert and I wrote so far.”

Josie stopped talking and took the article. Anne could tell that she was made slightly uncomfortable from reading it, but Josie powered through and added, “I think we should be more specific about the transgression committed against me. If people aren’t aware of a specific situation, I don’t think the article will work as effectively.”

“Yes, we considered that. Are you sure though? The more specific the information, the more likely it is that people will put together who the people involved are. There are not many courting couples in Avonlea, and I assume that your courtship is now over. Don’t you think that people would see a correlation?”

“It was a county wide fair; it could have been anyone. Billy is a coward so he won’t admit to anything. And our courtship is certainly over. Regardless of how this pans out, in two months we will be in Charlottetown and we will be away from it all.”

“Alright, I’ll write something up. I’m meeting Diana, Moody and Ruby at the school later and we will get it printed in time for tomorrow’s edition. Is that alright? Did you want to see what I come up with before it prints?”

“Sounds fine, and no, I don’t need to see it. Just don’t use my name and it will be fine.”

“Do you want to be listed as an author?”

“No. My mother would kill me.”

“Fine,” Anne said, disappointed. “Thank you for coming all the way out here and offering your opinion. I’m glad you came.”

“Can I see your mother’s ring before I go?”

“Oh, yes, of course, come along,” Anne said as she led her upstairs. She retrieved the ring and handed it to Josie. “You didn’t believe I was telling the truth, did you?”

“It’s very pretty,” she said as she handed it back, “And of course I didn’t believe you. I still can’t even believe you’re courting Gilbert either even though I’ve been sure of something between you two for so long. Even with everything I’ve seen-”

“Please don’t continue, no matter which way you say it, it all comes down to the general consensus being that he is too good for me, and do you honestly think that I don’t know that?” she took a deep breath. She was trying not to yell at Josie, as much as the situation may warrant it. But yelling wasn’t going to help Josie. She continued on, calmly trying to use her relationship with Gilbert as an example to Josie for what she should look for now that she was free of Billy. “Of course I know that Gilbert is too good for me, but do you know what? He thinks the same about me. He has said time and time again that he doesn’t understand how I could consider **him** worthy of **me**. Marilla and Matthew have said repeatedly that Gilbert is the only man on this island they would truly trust to court me. Diana threated him upon learning of our relationship saying that he better not hurt me. Sebastian continually reminds Gilbert that he isn’t good enough for me. This whole town goes on and on about how handsome he is, but do you know who he calls the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen? Me. And his love for me and understanding of me goes so much deeper than that. I know there are some who don’t see my value or appreciate me, and that’s fine, but there are many who do, including the most amazing person I’ve ever met and I’m honored that he bestows the same designation on me.”

“I’m sorry Anne, really, but it’s not just you. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t believe much of what anyone says, I don’t think I trust anyone, but I don’t know why and my skepticism has not been helped by recent events. If someone I thought cared for me could treat me so terribly, why would you bother telling me the truth? Someone who I’ve been nothing but unkind to.”

“Because **I** am kind and I speak truthfully, most the time anyway. Billy has never cared about anything but himself and has spouted lies his entire life just to get what he wants. I don’t lie about things that do no good to lie about. What would I have to gain from making up receiving a ring from my mother? It doesn’t make her come back; it doesn’t change my miserable childhood. I only lie to protect or preserve. But lying about, or rather keeping our courtship a secret? It’s preventing distractions as we prepare for the exams. That’s the only reason we’re waiting to announce it. I don’t want to be dealing with comments like what you insinuated when there are more important things happening. It is simply self-preservation at this pivotal time. Gilbert wanted to announce it right away, by the way, said he couldn’t wait to show everyone that we were together. It was me who forced him to wait, not willing to risk the criticism I knew was coming,” Anne laughed softly, “So thanks for proving my point. I’ll have to let him know that my concern was legitimate.”

“I’m sorry Anne, really. I am happy for you, I think. I just have a lot to think about.”

“Maybe talk to Miss Stacy. She’s helped me a lot with figuring things out,” Anne suggested, “Can I trust you to keep the news of Gilbert and I to yourself Josie? Just one more week: after the exams everyone can know.”

“I can’t imagine why the news of two orphans would ever be worth talking about,” she said smiling.

Anne signed in relief, “Thank you.” If Josie were to tell her mother, the rest of the town would have known in an instant.

\---

Anne finished writing the article and met the others at the school where they each reviewed and agreed with Josie’s comments and the additional description. Diana helped make quick work of setting the type with Anne and they got started with the printing while Moody and Ruby spent the time flirting at the back of the room. Anne laughed when she thought about the situation and how commonplace it was at this point, but just three months ago everything regarding their relationships would have seemed unthinkable.

“What’s so funny?” Diana asked.

“Just imagine if the you from last year could travel forward in time to where we are now. So, let’s say, look at who you were when we saved Miss Stacy’s job. Imagine being that version of yourself, and coming to now and seeing that you are with Jerry, I’m with Gilbert and that Ruby is absolutely captivated by Moody Spurgeon. What do you think your reaction would be?”

Diana burst out laughing.

“Exactly, I agree.”

“Cole had told you though that Gilbert had a crush on you. I certainly thought he might, but you really didn’t believe him?”

“I really didn’t believe him, Diana. The whole idea seemed so fantastical and counterintuitive from my interactions with him at that point that I couldn’t even wrap my head around it being a possibility.”

“Fantastical like something from your fantasies?” Diana said with a wink.

“Ha! No, fantastical like completely inconceivable. I’m not at all lying when I say that I did not see this coming, Diana. Not even in my wildest imagination.”

“I saw you look at him before though, like you were seeing more. Like when he talked back to Mr. Phillips? You seemed captivated.”

“I was. I was captivated by the fact that this infuriating classmate of mine, that someone so polite and well-mannered to everyone but me, by the way, would speak back to an authority figure in such a fashion, which was exactly how I would respond in the same situation. I was surprised to find we had something in common, but I wasn’t smitten with him.”

“So when was the first time you felt something more for him? It couldn’t have all just happened in one day that day of the dance rehearsal.”

“No it didn’t. Um, probably Bash and Mary’s wedding? We talked for a while after that, about my diminished desire for a ‘tragical’ romance. No. Maybe Prissy’s wedding. I caught him staring at me and felt something terrifying then.”

“That was a while ago.”

“No, that’s not right either. Oh goodness, this is embarrassing. I think it was before he left, after his dad died. Jerry and I ran into Gilbert as we were selling everything and we got to talking, we called a truce, and I was… reluctant to stop talking to him.”

“How reluctant?”

“Very reluctant; we stared at each other until Jerry ruined the moment. I’ve wondered sometimes how it would have ended had Jerry not been there. I should ask him what he was thinking, if he even remembers. That’s when Jerry figured out there was something between us. That’s right, **Jerry** knew before I did. Years before I did! It’s so embarrassing when one can’t figure out one’s own feelings. Thinking about how Gilbert spoke with me after that practice, I’m still embarrassed he had to spell it out that clearly for me. I honestly didn’t put it all together until that day.”

“We all get to things in our own time. There’s nothing wrong with that. Did you settle the terms of your bet? What wish are you granting him?”

“Trust.”

“His wish is that you trust him? Stupid boy,” she said shaking her head. She continued in a whisper, “I thought he’d look for a repeat of the infamous day at the beach.”

Anne instantly turned crimson, “Diana Barry!” she yelled in a hushed tone. “We do **not** talk about what happened at the beach!”

Diana cackled, “I’m sorry, it’s just so funny!”

“It was **not** funny! It was an absolute disaster that could have ruined us both!”

 **“** I just figured he would have liked to see you like that again.”

“Then he will have to wait until we are married! I have **never** been that embarrassed,” she said shamefully.

“Well, he was plenty embarrassed himself, and it’s not like it harmed your relationship any.”

“Diana Barry, you are the only one outside of the two of us who knows what happened that day. Keep your mouth shut.”

“I will, don’t worry, sorry, so he wants you to trust him?”

“He has some grand plan for next Monday in Charlottetown. He wants me to trust him to take care of everything and not get worked up and worry about it between now and then. Also not to ask what we will be doing.”

“And how are you doing with that?”

“Oh, just great,” she said sarcastically, “Really, super wonderful.”

Diana laughed, “What could you possibly have to worry about? It’s Gilbert! You know you can trust him.”

“Yeah, I know. I just have issues. I’m not worried about it really, despite my brain bothering me about it.”

“That’ll be your first time out as an official couple, yes?”

Anne nodded excitedly and smiled.

“Oh look at you so excited. You’re adorable, Anne.”

“You’re one to talk I’ve never seen you as happy as you were yesterday with Jerry, Diana.”

“I **am** happy. It’s devastating to know it can’t last,” she said wistfully.

“Don’t think that way; you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Some things are more likely than others though, and this lasting is not likely.”

“Because of your parents?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you seem to be fighting them on many fronts, why not add this to the list? Also, do you know who was quite impressed by Jerry?” Anne asked playfully.

“Who?”

“Josephine Barry. I say do what you want. If your parents can’t handle it, go to Aunt Jo. She will understand for sure.”

“You always do what you want. Things are different for me. You know they are.”

“It doesn’t have to be. You are just as deserving of happiness as anyone else. Think about it. If you end your relationship at the end of the summer like you intend, will you regret it? Will you be left wondering ‘what if’? If not, maybe you’re right and it’s not worth fighting for. But if you love him, if you **are** truly happier now than you’ve ever been in your entire life, isn’t that worth the risk? Isn’t it worth fighting for?”

Diana became pensive.

“Ruby, Moody, thank you so much for all your help,” Anne called out to them across the room, “Could you please take these with you and bring them tomorrow so we can hand them out after church?”

“Sorry Anne,” Moody apologized.

“Sorry, I’ll take the papers, no problem,” Ruby added.

\---

Diana and Anne headed back toward their houses and decided to sit by the lake on the dock for a bit before dinner.

Anne leaned back, letting her hair fall behind her as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.

“Anne! What is on your neck?!?” Diana yelled.

Anne reflexively covered the spot and pulled her hair forward. “Spider bite?” she answered hesitantly.

Diana laughed, “That is not from a spider and you know it! Enjoy your evening talk with Gilbert, I take it?”

“Yes! I did! Immensely!” she exclaimed indignantly, “And it’s not my fault! I had no idea that could happen! Did you know about this Diana? Why didn’t you say anything? You could have warned me!”

“Anne, relax, I didn’t know about it either,” she said, still laughing, as she pulled down the collar of her dress revealing bruises similar to Anne’s, “Until this morning!”

Anne fell backwards in raucous laughter, lying on the dock. “Diana Barry! When did that even happen? We dropped him off before you!”

Diana lay down next to her. “Yes you did. And then he walked over to my house and we spent some time together before I went inside. Didn’t you wonder why I had you drop me at the end of the drive? I had noticed him following us while you and Gilbert were pretending to be interested in what I was saying when you were actually just waiting to devour each other.”

Anne’s laughing calmed a bit, “It’s just that we would have dropped you both at your house we wouldn’t have cared, and in fact, we would have supported it.”

“I’m just trying help; if you don’t know about it, you can’t get in trouble for it.”

“Well I can appreciate that, because it is quite clear that I can get into enough trouble on my own,” she said, pointing to her neck.

“Please Anne, give credit where credit is due,” Diana said, laughing heartily again, “Gilbert helped you a lot with that!”


	8. What the Hell Happened on that Beach?!?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally figure out what happened at the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. I guess I've made you wait long enough. Ignore any anachronisms, inaccuracies, and all that, just enjoy the story. I really hope it lives up to what you were expecting. It made me giggle a bit so that's usually a good sign.

Gilbert wasn’t at church on Sunday morning, causing Anne concern. Sebastian arrived with Delphine and Hazel just before the service started so Anne wasn’t able to investigate his absence. Not everyone approved of Sebastian’s presence in the congregation, but after initially being refused from attending, Gilbert wrote a letter to the minister, demanding Sebastian’s acceptance into the church, quoting from Galatians, “my house shall be a house of prayer for **all** peoples.” That message along with the threat of not following through with John Blythe’s pledge to the church seemed to be enough to secure the Lacroix family a place next to the Cuthberts.

While most the girls stood handing out the papers after church, Anne talked with Sebastian.

“Is Gilbert ill?” she asked.

“No, he wasn’t home when I woke this morning,” he said as he bounced Delphine on his hip, “I don’t think he ever returned from Charlottetown.”

“ **What**?!”

“Please don’t worry. He warned me about this; he said that if some kind of emergency came up there was a chance his hours could run long.”

“Thirteen hours longer than intended?” Anne asked, panicking.

“Hey, hey, come here,” he said, wrapping his free arm around her and pulling her into his side, “I’m sure he’s fine. Even if he worked a couple hours late, he would have missed the last train. For all we know he just spent the night at the clinic or Doctor Ward’s house and will be back soon.”

“You’re right,” she said, the pitch of her voice noticeably higher than usual. “There’s no need to panic. Yet. Shall we go back to your house then and see if he’s returned?” she turned and headed toward their carriage.

“Hey, hey, hey, not so fast child. Check with Marilla and Matthew and then we can get on our way.”

Sebastian tried his best to reassure her during the journey home but it fell on deaf ears.

As they neared the house, Anne spotted a blood soaked shirt on the railing of the porch hanging next to Gilbert’s jacket. She jumped out of the back of the moving carriage and ran into the house and up the stairs to his room where she found him sleeping shirtless on his bed, his skin stained slightly by what she assumed was someone else’s blood.

She rushed over and sat down next to him. She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered, “Gilbert, you need to wake and get cleaned up, you can’t just spend the day sleeping away with someone else’s blood all over you.”

“Uhhnn,” he grunted.

She kissed his cheek and said, “I’ll go prepare you a bath, you can rest until then.”

Anne quickly went downstairs to get to work and received questioning looks from Hazel and Sebastian.

“He’s covered in blood and needs to wash up. I’ll prepare him a bath.”

“No, Miss Anne,” Hazel said, “I will do that.”

“With all due respect, Hazel, I would like to do this. You are already preparing lunch and we don’t need to bother you with an additional task when I am perfectly capable. Please carry on,” she said, leaving it clear that it was not up for discussion.

While she worked, Sebastian sat playing with Delphine, though Hazel served lunch before she could make much of a dent in the task. They enjoyed their meal and Hazel took Delphine upstairs for her nap.

“So Anne, what was Gilbert’s great wish, if my asking isn’t inappropriate,” Sebastian asked as Anne got back to work.

“Not at all Bash. He asked me to tea.”

“Idiot. What a waste of a wish.”

“That’s what I thought,” Anne agreed. “I was surprised that he asked for tea when he is well aware that I would happily go to tea with him without him wasting a wish on it, but then he elaborated that that would just be the start of our day.”

“What are you doing afterward?”

“No idea. **That** is the real part of the wish. I’m supposed to trust that he is planning something that I will enjoy and I am not to ask him about it this week.”

“That’s a tall order for you I take it? Inquisitive as you are?”

“A tall order indeed, but I’m managing. There’s a lot going on right now anyway, I have plenty of other things to occupy my mind. And I trust him.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do. It took me a long time to learn how to trust people, especially my peers, but Gilbert has shown devotion to our friendship for years and he’s right, he’s never given me any reason to not trust him. And recent events have only confirmed that my trust in him is well placed.”

“Like what?”

“Like what happened at the beach,” Anne said as she made sure not to make eye contact.

“Why won’t anyone tell me what happened at the beach?” Sebastian whined. “All he’s said is that the day could have ended very badly for you both.”

“Well he’s right and I’m quite glad that his good luck seemed to have helped us through. Had I been alone I’m sure I would have not been so lucky. Though had I been alone, I daresay I wouldn’t have gotten into the predicament to begin with.”

Sebastian’s look turned serious, “Anne? Are you okay?”

She looked confused, “I’m fine, Sebastian, why do you ask?”

“I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but he is treating you well, right? He’s not pressuring you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with?”

“ **No!** Of course not! How could you even wonder that? You know he would never!” Anne had never been mad at Sebastian before; she couldn’t believe he would suggest such a thing.

“What I know Anne, is that I’ve seen people perceived as the very best of men in public abuse and mistreat the women and children they claim to love. Would I expect Gilbert capable of such action with how well I know him? Never. Not for a moment. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t check in with you to make sure that you feel safe and comfortable and it certainly doesn’t mean that you are both expecting the relationship to develop at the same pace. He’s two years older than you, Anne. When you’re my age, two years is nothing, but in adolescence it can be a lot. Gilbert is the platonic love of my life, but we all make mistakes and it’s worthwhile to ask crazy questions if it keeps you safe.”

Anne sighed, relaxing at his explanation. “I appreciate your support, more than I can say, but I assure you that if he dared pressure me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with he would not have the opportunity to make a second attempt.”

“I want you to know, that beyond Matthew and Marilla, you have me, you can tell me anything. If you need help I will help you, if you need a listener, I will listen. And most of all, if you need to complain about Gilbert, I’m your guy.”

She laughed, “Oh, I know that. I trust you almost as much as I trust him. And I’m certainly more comfortable discussing certain things with you than with Marilla or, God help me, Matthew. Could you even imagine what he would do if I talked to him about kissing Gilbert?”

“Barn!” they said simultaneously and burst into laughter.

“Exactly! Sebastian I know I have you, but thank you all the same, it means a lot,” she said and leaned over to hug him from behind.

Gilbert came down the stairs, having woken from Delphine’s pre-nap crying. He was clearly exhausted.

“You’d think a guy could take a nap without waking to find his girl in the arms of his brother,” he joked.

“You’d think your vision was better than that because your brother is very clearly in the arms of your girl.” She walked over to him, gave him a hug and kissed him slowly. She leaned back, her arms joined around his neck, and said “Your breath is just terrible.”

“Good morning,” he said softly and kissed her again. “I know.”

“I was just going to come get you,” she said, releasing her hold, “Your water is ready, go get washed up and I’ll take care of your clothes and your bedding, which I’m sure you didn’t think about before falling into bed when you got home.”

He walked to the tub and started undressing behind the screen. “I didn’t think about anything, I just collapsed. Doctor Ward needed to rest for a while during a very long and difficult delivery. When I got into town he had already been at it for ten hours. Winnifred sent me to the house right away to help and we didn’t leave until this morning. I caught the first train and barely made it back to the house awake.”

“Is everyone okay?” Anne asked.

“Yes,” he said as he slipped into the tub, “Healthy mother, healthy daughter, healthy son.”

“Twins?!”

“Very small, very stubborn and fortunately very strong twins. They should all be fine,” he reassured her.

Sebastian sat there, his eyes wide at the domesticity he was witnessing before him, “This is not okay! Anne, you can’t be here when he’s bathing!”

“It’s fine; he’s behind the screen. Can you please retrieve his pants for me?”

“Okay?” Sebastian said, confused.

“Do you have a second set of bedding I can put on while we clean what’s on there now?” she called out to him.

“You’re not doing my laundry, Anne.”

“Of course I am.”

“No you’re not. I’ll take care of it. You’re obviously welcome to stay here as long as you’d like doing whatever, but you’re not doing my chores.”

“Yes I am. You are exhausted and I am well versed in getting stains out of clothing. And right now you are in a tub and it would be quite indecent if you were to try and stop me.”

“No! You have plenty of responsibility at your own house and put in a lifetime of service before that. You don’t work for me, Anne and I don’t need your help. I don’t even like that Hazel feels she needs to do my laundry and she lives here; I certainly can’t have you do it.”

She smiled wickedly at Sebastian as she recalled Gilbert’s words from a couple days ago and pointedly said, “I know you don’t need my help Gilbert, but I thought we were to the point where you might want it.”

“Dammit, Anne,” he said, a little frustrated, but she could hear him smiling.

“Ha! Where is your extra bedding?”

“In the sideboard in the hall.”

“And there’s blood on your pants, your shirt and your jacket?”

“Yes,” he said reluctantly.

“Is there anything else you need cleaned?”

“No! Absolutely not! You shouldn’t be doing my laundry! You may work on the blood, but that is it! If you do anything else I will chase you down in a towel if I have to.”

“That’s funny that you think I left a towel out for you.”

“Anne!”

“Sebastian will be happy to fetch you a towel when you are fully bathed. I’ll be out back.”

“You’re playing with fire, Carrots!”

“Well, that’s just not true. I’m playing with you, it’s not my fault you’re losing,” she said sweetly as she went to leave the house.

“Hold on, hold on,” Sebastian said, still blindsided by their casual behavior. “Last I heard, you couldn’t handle looking at him when he was wet and fully clothed and now you just hugged him and kissed him while he was half dressed and you didn’t think twice about it. **And** you had a conversation knowing he is completely naked in the same room. This is not okay! Someone explain to me what is happening!”

“Gilbert, just tell him what happened at the beach.”

“No, thank you. He will tease us. Forever. It will never end. Fifty years from now we’ll be sitting on a porch enjoying the summer breeze and he’ll elbow me with that knowing smirk and say, ‘Hey, do you remember that day at the beach with Anne?’”

“I don’t appreciate your attempt at my accent boy, it is very bad,” Sebastian said.

Anne argued, “Well, right now the whining seems like it will never end, so you’re going to have to pick one. Seems to me that if you just told him then he would understand why we don’t talk about it.”

“You could tell me, Anne,” Sebastian prodded.

She turned pink, “I know I said I trust you, and I **am** comfortable talking to you, but I absolutely cannot tell you that story.”

“ **What the hell happened on that beach**?!” Sebastian yelled.

\---

Anne did the wash and despite being momentarily distracted when Gilbert ran out to her and practically tackled her to the ground, she completed the task with astounding efficiency.

He thanked her for her help, kissed her a few times and then helped her up so he could assist her in hanging the items on the line.

When they were done, he told her he was going back in to rest and she left for the day, having things to do at home. He watched her leave until he couldn’t see her anymore and walked inside with a big smile on his face.

“She’s so dreamy,” Sebastian said in a high, mocking voice.

“Yes, she is,” Gilbert sighed.

“So, you asked Anne to tea on Monday? And to reserve the day for other things?”

“Yes. I haven’t figured out the rest of the day entirely, but I have a couple ideas."

"Maybe a trip to the beach?"

"No! Stop asking! I'm going upstairs to rest for a bit.”

“Not yet you aren’t. Tell me what happened at the beach. She gave you permission; it must not have been that bad. You two are a mess anyway.”

“Exactly. You know what we’ve gotten into before and handled in stride, which should give you some inclination as to how unfortunate that day was. I swear to you if **anyone** would have seen us, we would have had to leave town.”

“Wouldn’t it help to commiserate with someone? Who would I tell?”

“Miss Stacy! You two have gotten very close and both of you find a disturbing amount of delight in our misfortune.”

“What if I promise not to tell Muriel.”

“I wouldn’t believe you! Even for a second!”

“Right, you do know me well. What if I promise not to tell Muriel until you leave for Toronto?”

“That might be bearable, but now that I’m considering the content I don’t think you’d be exactly comfortable sharing this story with anyone, not even… Muriel. It’s bad. Nope, I can’t call her that. Not even Miss Stacy.”

Sebastian looked at him with pleading eyes.

Gilbert rolled his eyes in defeat as he stood at the base of the stairs with his hands on his hips. “Where’s your mom?”

“She just left to go have tea with Mrs. Lynde. She took Delphine because she couldn’t get her to sleep. Thought the pram would do her some good. We got time.”

“Okay. Fine. Sit down,” Gilbert said as he led the way into the kitchen. Sebastian sat down at the table while Gilbert went to get the rum and two glasses.

“Oh, this is clearly very serious,” he said in mockery.

Gilbert sat down, poured two fingers for them each, they clinked their glasses and Gilbert threw it back.

“You might want to take it easy there, it can’t be that bad. Remember how you overreacted when you saw her leg with that bee sting? You blew that way out of proportion,” Sabastian said, sipping his drink.

“Yes I did, and I realize that fully now after what’s happened.” Gilbert poured himself a little more rum to sip on.

“So. This happened that Saturday when those seed guys came through town a couple weeks ago. Matthew and Marilla were at that gathering all day and you had gone with Delphine and Hazel to The Bog to visit Constance and Jocelyn. Most people were in town that day from the morning to late afternoon because of the event. If you remember, it was **so** hot that day. Even Marilla was complaining about it when I went over to Green Gables that morning.”

“It wasn’t hot. Felt like home,” Sebastian looked up and smiled at the memory.

“Like I said, it was incredibly hot that day. I had gone over to help Jerry with a couple chores that morning because Matthew wasn’t going to be around and Anne had some things to take care of inside for Marilla. After we were done, Anne and I were going to study, but because it was so hot, we packed a lunch and we took our books to the beach where we figured there would at least be a breeze.”

“Seems reasonable.”

“There wasn’t. The ocean has never been calmer and the air never as stagnant as it was that day. We found a spot near the cliff where we could stay out of the sun when it was out, fortunately though it was pretty cloudy that day. We took our shoes and socks off, but it was still unbearable, Bash. We couldn’t even think. So I asked Anne if she would mind if I took my shirt off. She considered it for a moment and then said it would be fine, so I did. She spent the next ten minutes averting her eyes from me, but eventually I could tell she was comfortable with the situation and we carried on reading. About twenty minutes later she said, ‘Here’s the deal, Gilbert. I either need to go back home so I can undress to a layer of comfort or I need to remove my dress here. I realize it’s completely inappropriate, but I feel like I’m suffocating and if you are at all aware of how women dress, you know that I’m essentially wearing an entire second dress under this one. You will be able to see my arms, but besides that, I will remain completely covered.’ I laughed a bit at her concern and told her that if she was comfortable I didn’t mind. So she took off her dress, laid it on the sand and lay down on top of it, finally able to breath properly.” Gilbert paused and took another large drink.

“So what? It was hot and you relaxed by the beach, I’ll admit it’d cause a stir if someone saw you, but I don’t see why you’re both so worked up about what happened. As far as I can tell, nothing happened.”

“Oh Bash,” he laughed, “I was just setting the scene. I haven’t even gotten to the story yet.”

Bash’s eye got wide. He may have not considered that scene scandalous, but there were many in Avonlea who would have. With that information alone, Anne’s reputation could have been absolutely destroyed and Gilbert would have definitely lost his status as Avonlea’s finest young gentleman. If that wasn’t the bad part, well, maybe Gilbert’s assessment of the situation’s gravity wasn’t that far off. Sebastian drained his glass and poured himself some more.

“So we sat there for a while studying.”

“Each other or the books?” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He rolled his eyes, “The books, Bash. We were the perfect image of scholarly integrity. Just two friends,”

“Lovers,” Sebastian corrected.

“Sitting on a beach,”

“Laying on a beach,”

“Nearly entirely dressed,”

“Half naked,”

“Working hard,”

“Hardly working,”

“To prepare for the exams that will determine the rest of our lives.”

“Of course,” he said, smiling.

“Before I get to the rest of the story and your mind starts running wild, I want to be clear that we kissed, but nothing else happened between us.”

“I already don’t believe you.”

“Well, it’s basically true.”

Bash’s hands rubbed at his face, “Gilbert, what did you do to that girl?”

“Anne suggested that we go swimming. And I thought, well, why not? It’s hot out and no one is around. So we walked to the water and I asked her if she knew how to swim, she said no, so I knew that I would need to keep an eye on her and not joke around too much.”

“Okay…”

“So, before you even ask, I kept my pants on; I wasn’t going to make this look any worse than it was. I took her hand and we walked in. She stayed where only the bottom of her clothes would get wet and I dived in, because it felt so good. Also she suggested swimming, not wading, am I right?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“I’m right, yes, she did. I came up from the water and saw she was hesitant to continue, so obviously I splashed her and she came chasing after me and I continued splashing her. It was fun. We played in the water for a while. I tried to teach her how to swim. She kind of caught on and we swam back and forth lazily together, talking and enjoying ourselves.”

“Fine, Gilbert, I get it. It’s abundantly clear that you had no ill intentions for the day. You are, as ever, the perfect gentleman, now get on with it. What happened?” Sebastian asked, taking another sip.

“Well, we stood there for a bit just looking out at the ocean and she was asking about my time on the Primrose.”

“Such a romantic and beautiful time in your life,” Sebastian joked.

“Trust me; I know,” Gilbert laughed, “I was plenty clear **again** that she thought my hiatus was a lot more idyllic than it actually was. Anyway, she screamed suddenly and jumped on me. After she stopped squirming around I ended up holding her with one arm behind her back and one arm under her knees and she had one of her arms on my shoulders.”

“We call that bridal style, by the way.”

“Shut up, that’s not what it was.”

“That’s what it was. Continue.”

“Anyway, she apologized, saying that she felt something brush against her ankle and it startled her. I laughed and told her it was probably just my pant leg and not to worry about it.” He took another drink. “I started to release her, which was incredibly difficult to make myself do, by the way, but instead of allowing it, she tightened her hold around my shoulders, threaded the fingers of her other hand through my hair, pulled herself up and kissed me.”

“And then you were gone.”

He laughed softly and shook his head, “Bash, I was so far gone. She had never kissed me like that before. Don’t get me wrong, she is always plenty receptive to kissing me and responds with equal enthusiasm, but it’s almost always me initiating things. So this time, when she pulled herself up to me like she **needed** me? Like she couldn’t wait for it another second? I was done; absolutely ruined.”

Bash chuckled, “You’re right, that situation would have gotten you into a lot of trouble.”

Gilbert blushed. “Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten to the trouble yet.”

Sebastian had just taken another sip of his rum and Gilbert’s comment caused him to choke a bit. He blinked hard through his watering eyes and said, “I’m sorry, what now? That is already trouble and don’t pretend that it isn’t. You were unchaperoned, kissing passionately, half dressed in the water. Please, tell me again that you only kissed that girl.”

“I swear, we only kissed,” he reassured him urgently and took another drink. “So next, I let go of her legs because my hand needed to be in her hair.”

“Needed?”

“Absolutely needed. I certainly made no conscious decision about it; it went there of its own accord. Unfortunately that meant her legs were no longer supported. We were in the water nearly up to my shoulders, and I think she enjoyed us being at the same height so, ever the resourceful problem solver, she-”

Sebastian groaned, knowing where this was going and said on a sigh, “Wrapped her legs around your waist.”

“ **She wrapped her legs around my waist!** ” he yelled, slamming his fist down onto the table.

Sebastian again drained his glass, “Oh boy, I’m afraid to ask, then what happened?”

“What do you think happened, Bash? I put every ounce of effort I had into thinking about anything else besides what was actually happening, which in case you weren’t paying attention, was the girl of my dreams, who I’ve been in love with for years, passionately kissing me in the ocean with her legs wrapped around me holding my body **much** too closely to hers. And as you probably know, it was incredibly difficult to think of anything beyond the absolute bliss I was experiencing and to not get completely lost in the moment. Also, it didn’t help that I didn’t **want** to think about anything else. I wake up every day and smile just remembering we are together, but this? The fact that she was willing to be there with me like that, that’s all I wanted to think about. It’s **still** all I want to think about. Thankfully, somehow, by some miracle of the universe, I was able to control myself.”

“Wow, impressive.”

“I know. I’m still proud of myself, not that it was a particularly lengthy amount of time. I knew I wouldn’t last long without her noticing something, but we kissed for a few minutes and I was able keep everything under control.”

“Okay…”

“So eventually, when I couldn’t take much more, I pointed out that we shouldn’t be doing what we were doing. She sighed and agreed and thanked me for indulging her. That’s right, she actually thanked me for kissing her, like it was some sort of burden she put me through. And I guess in a way it was, but it’s a burden I would gladly bear for like, forever. Anyway she suggested that she get back home and get changed before the Cuthberts returned and I agreed, so we slowly made our way out of the water.”

“Good job.”

“Nope,” he shook his head vigorously, “Terrible decision. We should have stayed in the water until dark because this is where everything went wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

Gilbert threw back the rest of his rum and said, “So, due to previous situations, we are now all well aware of how wet clothing tends to cling to bodies, and unfortunately that fact held very true that day. Which, thinking about it now, would have been plenty revealing by itself, but here’s something neither of us expected: Turns out that the ‘dress’ she wears under her dress? Paper thin and completely transparent when wet. Thankfully she had a few layers on her lower half, but on top, with how the material clung to her, she may as well have been naked. I averted my eyes as soon as I realized, but I saw… everything. And it did nothing to help my… situation, to which she oh so innocently asked, ‘what’s in your pants?’ before putting together what had happened and turning a shade of red that I didn’t think was possible for a human.”

Sabastian sat there trying not to laugh, “Oh dear Lord.”

“So I had turned away from her, for so many reasons and then, because the situation wasn’t already embarrassing enough, I had to explain to her that I could see through her dress because she was still unaware.”

“You’re right, that is bloody awful.”

“It. Gets. Worse.”

Sebastian stared at him, mouth agape. “It couldn’t possibly.”

“This is me and Anne we are talking about. Of course it could.” Gilbert took a deep breath. “We had been in the water for quite a while and foolishly made the mistake of leaving some bread out when we left our studying behind. I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that a flock of pigeons seemed to have taken that as an invitation to set up camp on our stuff. Luckily we had put our books in our bags.”

“Oh, yes, that's very lucky,” Sebastian mocked.

“But we had left our clothes out, which were now covered in pigeon crap.”

“Good thing you saved the books though. That’ll keep you covered!”

“Shut up. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on us. Of course we two would protect the books and think nothing of the food and the clothes. We get it. We’re not normal.”

“So what then?”

“So I attempted to wash our clothes out in the ocean while Anne sat in a ball hiding herself under the cliff. The washing kind of worked, so I put on my soaked shirt, but try as we might we couldn’t get Anne’s dress back on with all the wet material. I don’t know what was going on, but it just wasn’t working, so I gave her my shirt to help cover her at least a little bit.” He took a break and poured more rum. “So now we have both of us, soaking wet, me wearing no shirt, Anne wearing a see through dress and **my** soaking wet shirt and we needed to get back to each of our houses, get changed, and do this without being seen by anyone. At this point it was about three o’clock.”

“Which is when the meeting in town was scheduled to be over.”

“Yes, yes it was, excellent recollection Sebastian!” he said dramatically. “So then we needed to decide where to go and there was no good answer. Green Gables is farther away, but I knew it wouldn’t be proper to bring her here alone in that state.”

“I think you were well past proper, boy.”

“Yeah, that’s what we figured, so we snuck, crouched down through the fields with the tallest grasses and crops and came here as quickly as we could. I changed, gave her some of my old clothes again, like after the bee thing, and then we ran as fast as we could back to Green Gables where she was able to change and re-braid her hair, which was actually pretty close to dry. We sat down at the table, got our books out and started studying again like nothing had happened. Marilla and Matthew arrived five minutes later. When asked why she had changed dresses, Anne simply said, ‘It’s hot. In an effort to cool off, it got wet.’” He laughed and shook his head in admiration, “It wasn’t even a lie!”

“Wow.”

“So Sebastian, what do you think? Was I making a big deal out of nothing?”

“If anything I think you downplayed the seriousness of the situation.”

“Exactly. So, in response to your initial question, no, I don’t think we will be going to the beach again any time soon,” he stated definitively before throwing back the rest of his drink.

“Did you talk with her about what happened?”

“Later that night I explained to her that it was a biological reaction to physical and visual stimuli and that it certainly didn’t mean that I expect or want to do anything stupid with her.”

“Maybe if you would have just told yourself that little sentence it would have prevented the whole damn problem. Your words certainly have a way of removing every ounce of romance and emotion, don’t they?”

“That was kind of the point, Bash.”

“Right.”

“I also told her that I hoped she wasn’t too embarrassed, surely her modesty was compromised, but that I obviously did not think less of her for what happened and that I would certainly not breathe a word of it to anyone. She thought about it for a minute and said, ‘I can’t help but be embarrassed about what happened, but at least I know you liked what you saw.’ She said it so factually I just lost it, I practically fell off the bench I was laughing so hard.”

“That girl needs to watch her mouth; it’s going to get her into trouble.”

“Her mouth gets her into trouble all the time, I love it. That is the most amazing thing she could have said at that moment and I was proud of her. She still struggles so much with confidence regarding her appearance, hearing her say that so assuredly almost, **almost** , made me happy the whole thing happened. So we discussed how the whole situation was equally embarrassing, but once it had passed, we were actually surprised that it didn’t bother us too much. It happened, we dealt with it and we moved on. It’s not a situation we want to find ourselves in any time soon, but it’s not like we can pretend it didn’t happen or take it back.”

“That’s mature of you; though I’m pretty sure you would pay to see her like that again.”

“I hope I wouldn’t have to pay, but I get your point. And I can wait.”

“Six years?”

He smiled, “No, probably not.”

“You checked in with Emily, right? I know she and her husband are excited to board you at their house, what did she say about possibly hosting a married couple in the future?”

“She said that based on Miss Stacy’s recommendation of us that she would be happy to have us if I prove myself to be a responsible tenant.”

“So that means?”

“Two years,” he smiled bashfully, “We can get married in two years.”

“Now **that** ,” Sebastian said, smiling proudly as he poured them each a little more rum, “is a reason to drink.”


	9. What is Fair?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The article is published and the community responds.
> 
> The article is pretty much what Anne wrote in the show with pronouns changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long and that it isn't long, or very original at that. I don't like writing or re-writing the events in the show that are pretty much the same in this story so I really struggled here and just wasn't feeling inspired to write especially after I had so much fun writing that beach story. On the upside I've been able to come up with quite a few things that will occur once they get through the protest, particularly their date on Monday so I'm getting excited about that. So, if you can, stick with me through this chapter and the next and it'll get better from there. Thanks for reading!

**WHAT IS FAIR?**

**By: Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert and Charlie Sloane**

**From the day they are born, girls are told they are “less.” Less valuable than men, less intelligent than men, less capable than men.**

**And, apparently, less entitled to their bodily autonomy.**

**Yesterday, at the Island County Fair, an incident occurred in which a young man took advantage of his intended. He abused the trust she had in him and lured her outside for a private assignation. He then pressed beyond acceptable standards of behavior and touched her against her will. It was not only inappropriate but it was also indicative of the flagrant disrespect men have for women. He disregarded her voice when she said “no.” He refused to hear her. Now, in the aftermath, this woman has no recourse. She cannot speak up about her aggressor for fear of destroying her reputation beyond repair. Yet, does she not deserve justice for the act of violence committed against her person? She will have no day in court, so instead we are speaking out in these pages on her behalf.**

**We are giving her the voice she deserves. When such things happen to women, they are usually considered unremarkable. If they are, in rare cases, treated as trespasses, they are considered crimes against the girl’s father – because he owns her body. If the woman is married, they are crimes against her husband. If women’s bodies belong to their fathers until marriage, and a wedding marks the transfer of that property to the groom, then when do women’s bodies ever belong to themselves?**

**If we are not considered in control of our bodies, how are we to control our fates and our minds? Let us set the record straight here and now: Women are not made whole by men. Women are made whole the moment they enter this world.**

**This man behaved cruelly and despicably and violated the trust of this young woman. And yet, he will face no consequences. Men are allowed to act with impunity, to behave recklessly and fulfill their every whim and desire. And women are expected to bear it without complaint, for fear of ruining their honor and marriage prospects. When women speak out, or object to such treatment, they’re labelled as hysterical, difficult, and ill-bred.**

**We highlight this case because it occurred in our very own community, but truly it is just one of countless such incidents that are perpetuated against women every day, in every part of the world for centuries. The utter disrespect of women’s bodily autonomy is a systemic issue – one that enslaves an entire sex – and therefore is surely worth our time and attention.**

**Why do we allow women to be treated like this? Women matter on their own, not in relation to a man. Women are conferred rights only in association to men – as mothers, wives, daughters, sisters. Why are women not assigned the same human rights granted to men upon their birth? We all deserve the right to bodily autonomy and to be treated with respect and dignity. To say ‘stop’ and be heard instead of pushed, derided, and told that a man knows more about our basic rights than we do.**

**Men need to trust women – when women tell men what is and is not acceptable, they must be heard. If society would accept that women, and women only, own their bodies, then perhaps they could understand that when a woman speaks, her words have weight. She does not need them to be approved or conveyed by a man. Men do not know better than women what is appropriate. And they should no longer be allowed to blame women, the victims, when they misbehave. Why must women pay the price when a man commits an act of cruelty? Women are therefore punished twice – once in the violence they are forced to endure, and again in the silence they are made to keep. Women are not guilty simply because they find themselves in situations where men have the opportunity to take advantage of them. The fact is that women can be taken advantage of anywhere, by anyone. And it is never the fault of the woman.**

**This lack of respect permeates all aspects of women’s experiences. Women also deserve the same chance to live bold lives. When boys are daring, they are heralded as heroes. When girls to the same, we they are foolish, reckless, culpable. What would it cost us if we were all allowed to take heroic chances? Without these stupid, archaic rules, think about what a revolutionary world we’d live in!**

**We are told that a woman’s place is in the home. But what if we refuse to accept that? Imagine what new theories, technologies, and inventions would exist if women had the same access to education as men. If their ideas were taken as seriously as men’s. Instead of confining women, what if we gave them the chance to prove themselves – as doctors and lawyers and professors and architects and generals. We’re announcing, right here and now, that all women should refuse to conform to these archaic rules.**

**Refuse to participate in the status quo, become a conscientious objector, and we ask – no, demand – that you all join us in asking “What is Fair?” We propose “fairness” means that both genders should be treated with the same level of respect and autonomy. No one can touch another without their consent. No one can tell anyone else how to live. No one can tell another the limits of their hearts and minds.**

**This is not a blanket condemnation of men – instead, it’s a call to action. It is not just women who must decide what is fair – they know what they deserve. So it is time for men to take a stand. Men must decide if they are going to join women in rebellion, as partners in the fight for justice and equality. There is room for them here. In fact, we need them. If they refuse to do so, then women will have no choice but to leave them behind as they continue to build a better world.**

**Men, we urge you to consider the words written here – to consider, once and for all, what is fair.**

\---

Miss Stacy had warned them, but nothing could have prepared them for the reaction they received. She spread word on Sunday evening that they were to meet Monday at school to discuss the fallout. She entered the schoolhouse and greeted her students solemnly.

“I wish I had better news. I think the best option is to play by their rules for a spell, and then down the road, maybe they’ll… reconsider.”

“No one’s forcing them to read the paper,” Gilbert said and his classmates agreed. “What are the new rules, anyway?”

Miss Stacy tersely handed him the paper.

“The weather, hat fashions, farm stories, but no references to animal husbandry,” he continued indignantly.

Anne barked with laughter.

“That’s censorship!” shouted Diana, standing suddenly. “They can’t do that!”

“But they did,” said Moody. “They are. What are we supposed to do about it?”

“What **can** we do? We’re just children,” said Ruby, defeated.

“No,” said Josie defiantly. “No we aren’t. Before Miss Stacy got here we all agreed that it was worth the risk; that this is worth fighting for. If we aren’t going to keep fighting, what was it all for? Why even bring it up? Do you not all agree that these women who have been wronged, that **all** women deserve better?”

“Of course we do Josie!” said Tillie, “But what do you suggest?”

“Josie’s right. If we back down now, it was all for nothing, and even worse, it makes us complicit in our own defeat,” Anne concluded, “If we don’t defend ourselves, if we don’t defend our beliefs, we are proving to them that we are easily oppressed. Words mean nothing if we don’t stand behind them.”

“Exactly,” Gilbert added. “We need to fight, and this isn’t even about equality at this point, but about freedom of speech. Anyone is allowed to disagree with us, obviously we’d like them to agree, but they have a right to their opinion. And in kind, they can’t suppress our right to voice ours.”

“So let’s stand behind our words,” Anne said to herself. She perked up and, forgetting where she was, accidentally grabbed Gilbert’s hand that was resting next to her on the table, “Sorry, Gilbert. I have an idea! But I need some help. Diana, Gilbert come with me, the rest of you- meet us at the Cuthbert’s barn in an hour. We’ll have all the supplies there.”

Diana and Gilbert went with Anne to help carry the boards of wood, prepare the paint and gather old fabric. Gilbert and Anne prepared everything in the loft while Diana went to say hi to Jerry.

“Alright, I think we’re all set,” Anne said, satisfied.

“And with time to spare,” Gilbert said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Does the brilliant Anne with an E have any possible ideas what we could do to fill the time?”

Anne laughed and pushed him away from her, “Not that. I’m actually on Marilla’s side this time. We need to be more careful.”

Gilbert sighed, sat down on a pile of hay and pouted up at her, “For one more week?”

“For one more week,” she said before sitting down next to him and kissing him on the cheek.

“I’m coming up! Are you decent?” Diana called from the ladder.

“No!” they answered together, laughing.

Diana’s face appeared at the top of the ladder, “You act like that isn’t a legitimate concern.”

“Please, Diana, I think we can be alone for ten minutes and control ourselves.”

Gilbert shrugged and said, “Meh.”

Anne smacked his arm with the back of her hand, “Gilbert!” Gilbert caught her left hand in his right, wrapped his arm around her so her arm crossed her chest and pulled her close to him, kissing her temple and whispering, “Anne” into her ear.

Diana’s hand went to rest on her heart, “You are so sweet.”

“Yes, I am,” Gilbert said smirking, “Thank you.”

“That smirk is going to get stuck on your face, Gilbert,” Diana said.

“Worth it.” Gilbert heard Charlie as he entered the barn and sighed as he removed his arm from Anne’s shoulders.

Anne gave him a kiss on the cheek, “One week,” she whispered. As their classmates started to climb the ladder, she rose and walked over to the group to greet them.

Gilbert closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said to himself, “One. Week.”

As Anne began explaining her plan on the other side of the loft, Diana sat down next to Gilbert and asked, “Are you quite all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you Diana. How are you?”

“Quite well, thank you,” she said politely, though expressionless.

“Liar,” he accused.

“Pardon?”

“You’re lying, Diana.”

“Yes I am,” she sighed. “How can you tell?”

“Because I’ve known you for your entire life. You can talk to me, you know, if you want. I might be able to help.”

“Well, I am in love with a man I can’t be with; and I’m frantically studying for a test I won’t be able to take to get into a college I won’t be able to attend to become a working woman in a family of heiresses.”

“Is that all?” he joked, “Here I thought you were unhappy about something.”

Diana forced a laugh as she blinked back tears, “Right.”

Gilbert saw the look on her face and said, “Oh. Diana, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it worse.”

She shook her head and waved him off, “It’s fine.”

“No it’s not. And you don’t have to pretend that it is. It’s awful. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be forced to live entirely to appease others, but Diana, can I be honest with you?” She nodded. “I have known you forever and not once have I thought you fit in with your family.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you play your part well enough, but you aren’t at all like your parents. You’re just a good actress. You have spent your entire life playing a role that has been forced upon you. But there have been many times when the real you has come out. If you remember, you used to be a lot more like Minnie May. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was you who put a frog in the teacher’s desk when you were eight.”

Diana laughed at the memory, remembering that it was Gilbert who tracked it around the room and returned it outside.

“You were also responsible for the Great Cattle Escape of 1884, and I’m not sure how you did it, but I have a feeling you are the one who tied Moody and Charlie’s boots together at the picnic that year.”

“A well-timed distraction and extremely nimble fingers from years of needlepoint.”

“I also know that you are the one who ruined the tuning of the piano at the Christmas panto a few years back so you wouldn’t have to play it and you are responsible for throwing the ball that knocked out Billy’s first tooth.”

“Well, aren’t you observant.”

“And beyond all that, I think I’m the only one who has put it all together,” Gilbert laughed. “My point is that you are a force to be reckoned with, Diana. You always have been. You think Anne has been this big influence on your life, and maybe she has, but you have always been you. You have always been intelligent, you have always been a fighter and you have always been passionate. You’ll figure it out. You will be there when we take the exam next weekend, you will go to college in the fall and I wasn’t lying, you will be a magnificent lawyer.” He paused for a moment. “Do you really love him?” he asked before he lost his courage. 

“I… uh… what does it matter? My feelings make no difference.”

“They make all the difference in the world. He loves you Diana.”

She looked up suddenly, “He does?”

“Yes, he does. Look, I know that you are dealing with a lot right now, but you don’t need to pick one or another. You can fight for more than just your education.”

“We don’t all get everything we want Gilbert, I’m not like you.”

“You’re right, you aren’t like me. You have a family. You have money. If your parents deny you support you have Miss Barry. You have a last name that means something.”

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean-”

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it, Diana, but if you let these opportunities pass you by that’s on you. You don’t get to be yourself right now and it’s frustrating, I get it, but you have the ability to get everything you want; if you don’t, the only reason will be that you didn’t want it enough; that you didn’t think it was worth fighting for.”

“Diana? Gilbert? Are you going to help?” Anne called from where the rest of the group was already working.

“Coming, sorry,” Diana responded.

They spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for the next day. After everyone left Gilbert lingered behind to help Anne clean up.

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in for a hug. He kissed her softly before saying, “Big day tomorrow.”

“The biggest,” she responded.

“For now,” he said confidently.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I just mean there are a lot of big days coming. The exams, Monday…”

“Hey! If I can’t ask questions about our itinerary then you certainly can’t tease about it.”

“Sure I can. That wasn’t part of the deal at all,” he laughed.

“I find it funny that loving you makes you no less infuriating. I really thought that your ability to annoy me would diminish over time, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“What can I say? It’s a gift.”

“Is this a talent you have with everyone?”

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s just you.”

“Lucky me,” she said sarcastically.

“Lucky **me** ,” he corrected.


	10. You Insufferable, Infuriating, Conceited Ball of Twine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert lead their classmates in a demonstration and Gilbert discusses his accommodations in Toronto with the Cuthberts. Anne momentarily crumbles under pressure, but Diana and Gilbert are there to help her through it.
> 
> Sorry I don't describe the demonstration. It occurs here like it did in the show and I saw no need to retell the story.

The demonstration went off without a hitch. Anne and Gilbert led their classmates throughout the town, gathering their fellow citizens, and even more importantly, garnering their support. A vocal minority maintained their obstinacy, but overall the town was supportive. Not all had agreed with what was written in the paper, others were simply put off by the bluntness of its delivery, but the vast majority supported their right to, at the very least, voice their beliefs.

Afterward, most the students were received warmly by their families, even Diana. Her parents originally condemned her participation in the penning of the article but were quick to change their minds when Diana pointed out that it could have easily been her who suffered such a cruelty. She also shared some of Gilbert’s stories from the clinic, hoping that her parents would realize what kind of men they might be pushing her toward against her will.

Charlie’s dad wasn’t a big fan of the article either, but both his parents were present at the demonstration that morning. His mother stood there silently cheering on her son, trying to hide her beaming smile from her husband. He had never hurt her, but it certainly wasn’t what you would call a happy marriage. Satisfactory might be the appropriate word, perhaps underwhelming. That afternoon, Charlie was sent to his room by his father, who wasn’t sure how to proceed with his son regarding his actions the past couple days. He had been studying for the exams for a couple hours when he heard a soft knock at the door. He called out to welcome the visitor, his mother, who wordlessly delivered a small cake to the desk he was sitting at and kissed the top of his head, her eyes brimming with happy tears, before retreating to the kitchen to continue her “wifely duties.”

Moody and Ruby weren’t quite sure what their parents thought of their actions, but it must have been favorable enough because when Moody asked if he could spend the afternoon with Gilbert and Ruby asked if she could spend the afternoon with Anne, none of them objected. Moody’s parents were just hoping that some of Gilbert’s intelligence would rub off on him. Ruby’s parents were still so grateful to Anne for saving their house and they were always supportive of Ruby’s friendship with her. Neither set of parents was aware that they were being lied to and that Moody and Ruby were planning on spending the day together, alone, in Gilbert’s orchard. Gilbert was aware of the situation, but had made it quite clear that he wanted no part of their afternoon.

Gilbert and Anne went back to Green Gables with the Cuthberts and enjoyed a late lunch talking about the morning and the future. Gilbert explained to the Cuthberts that in Toronto he would be boarding with Dr. Oak and her husband near the university at a decent rate and that if he was able to prove himself capable after the first semester that she would be offering him a paid assistantship when he returned after the Christmas holiday.

“That’s incredibly rare for such a first year student, isn’t it?” Anne asked, her excitement and pride evident.

“It is, but she’s beginning a research project that will likely span a decade and the less time she has to spend introducing new students to the study throughout the years, the better. She also said the fact that I am older than the average first year student was appealing and Miss Stacy apparently attested to my maturity.”

Anne burst out laughing, “If they only knew you like I know you.”

“I for one am glad that they do not,” Gilbert said, blushing as Marilla and Matthew eyed each other.

“I can’t believe she would offer that to you without even having met you,” Anne wondered aloud, emitting a nervous energy.

“Well, I still need to earn it, but we have corresponded at length through letters. I feel I know her fairly well and I have provided her with insight into my plans for the future regarding my education and intentions and I think I’ve earned her trust and given her a decent depiction of my character.”

“Clearly,” Anne said quietly, momentarily lost in her mind.

“Intentions?” asked Matthew hopefully.

“Matthew!” Marilla scolded.

Gilbert cleared his throat, “Regarding what I’d like to do professionally after earning my degree,” he answered. _And regarding my relationship with Anne,_ he added in his head.

“That is quite exciting Gilbert, we are so proud of you. It seems like everything is falling right into place,” Marilla said, shooting Matthew a warning look.

“I certainly owe Miss Stacy a lot. I’m not sure where I would be without her extra commitment to my education since I returned and her connecting me with Dr. Oak has been fortuitous,” Gilbert said. He continued on, trying not to sound as nervous as he was bringing up this topic for the first time. “Anne, I thought it might interest you to know that her husband, Albert, is actually a teacher in Toronto, that’s how she met Miss Stacy. Albert was one of her classmates. Anyway, he has been teaching at one of the secondary schools since obtaining his certificate and is now joining the Toronto school board which, thankfully, is a great deal more progressive than ours. He’s hoping to influence the schools to adopt the more progressive styles of teaching we have recently become accustomed to under Miss Stacy in an effort to make education more engaging and effective.”

“That’s absolutely thrilling!” Anne said, relaxing a bit, but talking faster and higher than usual, clearly anxious about something. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t envious of your accommodations already, Gilbert. The Oaks both sound absolutely fabulous. I expect I will find them to be kindred spirits if ever I’m lucky enough to meet them. Oh! Maybe someday I can visit you in Toronto! How exhilarating that would be!” Matthew smiled when he noticed Gilbert visibly exhale, finding relief in Anne’s words. “Not only to meet a female doctor who is leading her peers in research and scientific advancement but Albert too! My goodness, to have the opportunity to influence education in such a profound matter, not just in one classroom but across an entire city’s school system? How incredible! I can only dream to have such a role someday. I would truly like to hear how his endeavors pan out and the methods of teaching he has found most effective. Better yet, maybe I could write to him and we can correspond directly! Do you think that would be alright?”

Gilbert slipped a piece of paper out of his pocket, “This is the address. He is expecting to hear from you.”

“But… how did you know?”

“Because I know you. Dr. Oak told me what her husband did and in my response I obvisouly spoke of you and your passion for teaching and I asked if he would be willing to discuss education with you.”

Anne threw herself on him, crushing him with a hug.

“Anne!” Marilla scolded.

Anne held on to him tightly and jokingly scolded her back, “Marilla!” She maintained the hug for a few more seconds before continuing quietly, “Gilbert, you are so lucky, not that you didn’t earn this, but can you even believe you will be studying under and living with such amazing people? I can think of no one more deserving. I’m just so happy for you. Though I’m sure Mrs. Blackmore will be fine as well, though her correspondence has come off as a bit…”

“Strict?” offered Marilla.

“Old-fashioned?” asked Matthew.

“Restricting?” said Gilbert.

She sighed. “Yes. I simply don’t anticipate finding her to be a kindred spirit, though that is fine. I’ll have the girls and Cole will be nearby. And Aunt Jo is in Charlottetown too. I’ll just do my best to comply with her rules for the short time I’ll be there.”

Now it was Gilbert’s turn to laugh.

“What? You don’t think I can do it? I can do anything I put my mind to!”

“Oh I know, it’s just that usually you put your mind to changing rules, not adhering to them,” he said, smirking.

“I really think I can do it. I know not everyone agrees with me and that I am a bit… unusual. But it’s just one old lady, and I’ll probably be in the library most of the time anyway.”

“I expect you will,” Gilbert said as he stood. “I need to head home and help Bash for a bit before Miss Stacy’s tonight. Do you want to walk over together?”

Anne smiled and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll be by after dinner,” he said before leaning down, kissing her cheek and leaving the house.

Anne’s eyes lingered on the door for a minute after he left.

“Say, uh,” Matthew interrupted her thoughts, “Why do you think he was so relieved with your opinion of the Oaks?” he asked as casually as he could muster.

Anne looked at him innocently, “Was he?”

“Oh Anne, didn’t you notice?," asked Marilla. "I swear he was holding his breath the entire time he was talking about Mr. Oak. As soon as you said they sounded fabulous the boy visibly deflated.”

 _I didn’t notice because I was trying not to cry._ She chose to lie instead. “I might’ve noticed if I had been looking at him, but every time he eats here, you serve plum puffs and it takes everything I have to simply carry on conversation while eating these exquisite creations.” She took a bite to illustrate her point and continued talking with her mouth full. “I simply can’t be held responsible for not noticing the breathing patterns of Gilbert Blythe under such circumstances, Marilla.”

“Have you spoken about the future, dear?” she asked.

She hesitated, “Only in the broadest terms. Eventually we plan to marry. Once we have a better understanding of what our education entails we can revisit the conversation. We’ll just see what happens,” Anne said as she rose, uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading and not wanting to think about the future. “I’ll take care of my chores now, if that’s alright.”

“But Anne-” Marilla called out as Anne was halfway out the door. Marilla assumed Anne ignored her and gave Matthew a knowing look.

“He’s going to take her to Toronto,” Matthew said sadly, but with a hint of pride in his voice, pleased to see that Gilbert was making plans.

“She’s adamant on attending Queens. I don’t think he’d dare ask her to forego her plans for him. He knows this is the only place she’s ever had a home and that she wants to stay close for now.”

“For now,” he continued and stood up. “Trust me; he’s taking her to Toronto. I could see it in his eyes. He was nervous about bringing up the Oaks, I think, because he’s arranged accommodations for them both. Eventually.”

“He wouldn’t dare share lodging with her. Not without a wedding!”

“No, he wouldn’t, not without a wedding,” he replied, smiling.

“Well then. That’s that. Good to know. I expect Rachel will be relieved to know that the material she picked up ‘just in case Anne needs a formal white gown someday in the future’ will not be for naught.”

“Well, you know Rachel: always prepared.”

\---

That evening Miss Stacy invited everyone over to celebrate their success. Anne received praise for coming up with the idea to peacefully demonstrate and she in turn was quick to thank her classmates for their support and belief in her. Eventually all the excitement and attention exhausted Anne and she stepped outside to sit on the step, telling herself that it was to gather her thoughts when really it was a last ditch effort to hold herself together. She sat down with a shuddering sigh that left her on the verge of tears. All day was spent with her pretending everything was fine when in reality every day was getting harder. She was thankful the demonstration provided her with a brief distraction, but every day, as she neared the end of her life at Green Gables, as she prepared to part from Marilla, from Matthew, from Gi- no. She wouldn’t let herself think of that. Every day felt heavier with what was coming, her excitement regarding attending college cancelled out by the fact that she was leaving the only home she had ever known; the only place where she had ever known love, where she had learned what love was. _Everything is changing, and I’m not ready._ She took a couple deep breaths and collected herself as best she could. _It’s just the exhaustion._ She tried to convince herself, but she knew better. _Everything will be fine._ She actually believed that, but she couldn’t see how.

Diana saw Anne leave the house and came out to join her after she finished her punch.

“Anne! Why did you leave?”

“Sorry, I just needed a moment to myself.”

“Oh,” she said, taking in Anne’s demeanor, “Did you want me to go?”

“No, Diana, of course not, if I could choose, I would never be without you.”

Diana sat down beside her, “Well, that would certainly be awkward at times, but I have to admit to a morbid curiosity as to what you and Gilbert get up to when you’re alone.”

Anne forced a laugh, “You know very well what we get up to. You would just have a front row seat to our various calamities instead of being told after the fact.”

“Oh come now, you know better than anyone that the wonderful and romantic moments you have together far outnumber the unfortunate ones, it’s just that…”

“Yes?”

“Well, the mishaps you get yourselves into certainly leave an impression.”

Anne laughed softly, yet genuinely, “That they do.”

There was a minute of silence between them before Diana asked, “Why did you need a moment? Is everything okay?”

“I’m just tired. And everything is changing and I’m having a hard time and I don’t know but I… I don’t think this is over.”

“How do you mean?” Diana asked.

“We received lots of support today, to be sure, but the board? They didn’t look defeated, they didn’t look accepting. They looked enraged. Kindled.”

“Nearly the entire town supports us. That was apparent today. What could the board do in defiance of that?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure we’ll hear something soon,” Anne said ominously.

“Well, that’s no reason not to celebrate tonight, please try to cheer up. Did you want me to go in and send Gilbert out?”

“That’s not necessary; your company is more than adequate. I love you just as much as I love Gilbert.”

“Ha! No you don’t Anne, and that’s okay. It’s not a contest. Well, it’s not a close one anyway,” she joked.

“How can you say that?” Anne asked, offended. “Of course I do!”

“Oh Anne, I thought you had figure out your feelings by now. What happens when you think about me going to Paris? What do you feel?”

The tears immediately returned to her eyes. “I feel sad; unbelievably sad. But we’ve known this is coming and you are doing what you can to change it. Right now I’m hoping the loss of your presence in my life is not something I’ll have to endure but if it is, we will write and you will visit for Christmas and summer holiday and we will make the best of the terrible circumstances.”

“Very well. How do you feel when you think about Gilbert leaving for Toronto and being apart from him until Christmas and then again until the summer holiday? You’ve known that’s been coming too.”

For the first time since confessing her feelings for him, Anne allowed herself to properly cry, collapsing sideways into her oldest friend. Sure, there had been moments where she was upset and she would shed a few tears over the situation, but mostly she didn’t let herself feel too much regarding the matter because she knew this would be the result: utter agony. But the exhaustion from the day had worn her down, and in her already vulnerable state, she couldn’t maintain the wall she had erected in her mind which had previously prevented her from contemplating this misery.

“It hurts,” she sobbed. “It hurts more than anything I’ve yet endured.”

Diana pulled her into the tightest hug she could manage, “I know, Anne. I understand.”

\---

Meanwhile, inside, Josie looked out the window to look up at the night sky but her attention was pulled down to the stoop and she saw a trembling Anne fall into Diana.

“Ruby?” she asked quietly, “Do you know why Anne is so upset?”

“Is she?”

“She’s out on the porch with Diana and something is clearly wrong.”

“I’m not sure, but if Diana is with her, she’ll be fine. Let’s just let her be for a while.” Ruby paused awkwardly for a moment before saying, “I forgot to tell Moody something. I’ll be right back.”

Josie watched Ruby go over to Moody and say something quietly to him. As Ruby returned to Josie with a smile, she saw Moody go over and whisper something to Gilbert who apologized to Miss Stacy for ending their conversation and quickly exited the house, quietly shutting the door behind him. Moments later Diana returned, the shoulder of her dress damp from tears, and stood guard by the door so no one else would stumble upon them.

\---

When Gilbert got outside, Diana looked up at him and motioned for him to sit down on Anne’s other side and wordlessly passed Anne off to him before standing and heading back inside.

He didn’t say anything at first, and it was immensely clear that her sorrow increased with his presence. He was used to helping her through her unhappiness; it had been months since he had amplified her misery. It broke him to see her so upset and he wasn’t sure he could do anything to help her this time, so he just held her. No words, just a desperate embrace of unwavering support, like what she had provided him when Mary was dying. 

“Anne,” he eventually whispered, “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“Please take me- I don’t know where, I just don’t want people to see me like this. Let’s just get away from here. Please?”

He helped her up and they walked for twenty minutes in silence, out to the cliff where Gilbert knew she would find some peace and he waited for her to speak. They stood there for a time, Gilbert standing behind Anne with his arms wrapped around her waist, her head resting back against his shoulder as her anxiety calmed.

“Do you not get upset when you think of us parting in just a few weeks?” she asked quietly. “Doesn’t it bother you even a little bit?”

“Anne, we’ve been over this,” he sighed. “Is that what this is about? You know it can’t be helped.”

“Don’t make me feel bad about this, Gilbert. I think of parting from you and it makes me viscerally ill. It is absolutely agonizing to consider.”

He hugged her more tightly from behind and kissed her cheek, “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“And it doesn’t seem like it affects you at all. And I know that it’s not a variance in commitment. I know you love me. But how can you talk so casually about school and what’s coming with such optimism and strength and with no indication of any turmoil whatsoever? The whole time we were speaking today with Matthew and Marilla, yes I was excited for you, but inside I was falling apart! Why doesn’t it hurt you like it hurts me? What’s wrong with me? Am I so dependent on you already? Have I lost the ability to be an individual?”

He turned her around so they were standing face to face. His hand brushed a loose bit of hair off her cheek and behind her ear. He spoke softly, his voice breaking, “Anne, it does hurt me like it hurts you. Or at least I expect it would if I allowed myself to think about it. But I don’t. I can’t.”

She lightly pushed him away from her, her arms gesticulating in exasperation, “Why not? It’s all I can think about! Why don’t you?” she yelled.

“You know exactly why not! Because it’s hell, Anne! Do you really think you are the only one in pain here? Could you possibly think me so unfeeling that I don’t expect your absence to hurt me? You are everything to me! I have been in love with you for so long that I hardly remember what it feels like for you to not be in my heart. Being apart from you? Not seeing you every day? If I allow myself-” his voice shuddered and he closed his eyes tightly, trying unsuccessfully not to cry. “My God, Anne, when I think about leaving you in Charlottetown, I don’t want to go to Toronto. I start trying to convince myself that I could be happy as a farmer or that I too, could be a teacher, but we both know how wrong that would be. I certainly don’t have a passion for farming and I don’t have a passion for teaching.”

“That’s not true, you’re an incredibly passionate teacher; I’ve seen it time and time again.”

“I’m passionate when I’m teaching you something because I’m passionate about **you**! Not about teaching!” a cold frustrated laugh escaped him. He tried to moderate his tone, “I have two passions: you and medicine. I have exactly two dreams: one is to marry you and the other is to become a doctor. And I know that if I let my dream of being with you interfere with that of becoming a doctor you are going to yell at me for the rest of my life. Do you disagree?”

“No.”

“So you see my problem then. I **need** to marry you and I **need** to become a doctor. Unfortunately the latter interferes with my preference of seeing you every day of my life. So I don’t think about it. I **can’t** think about it. I just accept it, because I can’t change it. Anne, the best I can do is make the most of our time together and pray that I’m too busy and stressed out from my schoolwork that I don’t have time to think about how miserable I am not being near you. I have a very real fear that I will get to Toronto and all I’ll be able to think about is you and it will absolutely cripple me.” He enveloped her in an overwhelming hug and whispered, “But I have a plan. When that happens I will think of how disappointed you would be in me if I let you interfere with my work. Your scolding will keep me motivated, even from a thousand miles away.”

Anne laughed softly through her tears, “Six years, how are we to deal with this pain for six years?”

“I’m working on that,” he said honestly.

“What do you mean you’re working on it? Shouldn’t I be working on it with you? How can I help? Are we not a team?”

“Of course we are. And no decisions will be made without your enthusiastic consent, but I’ve learned that ideas are best delivered with a well formed argument. Think of it as facts supporting a thesis. I’m rounding up my facts and forming my argument. When the time comes I will deliver my proposition and await your criticism and corrections and we will proceed from there.”

She laughed, “Ever the scholar."

He wasn’t laughing. “Please Anne, please give me a chance to figure this out on my own; let me prove that you can rely on me to take care of things. I know you don’t need me to, but please let me try to prove to you, or at least to myself, that I could one day be worthy of you.”

She pressed her upper body back from his and his arms fell and wrapped around her waist. The light of the moon highlighted the fresh tears on his face, indicating that not only was he truly begging her for this chance, but that he really didn’t find himself yet deserving of her love.

“Gil,” she said, her brow furrowed, “Do you think so little of yourself that you truly believe you don’t deserve me? After everything you’ve done for me?"

“I think I rate myself appropriately, but no one alive, not even me, is good enough for you.”

“Unbelievable,” she whispered in frustration, not willing to accept what she assumed was supposed to be a compliment. She placed her hand under his chin directing his gaze down at her, inadvertently squishing his cheeks together, making his normally handsome face look undeniably ludicrous. “You have nothing to prove Gilbert, you have always been enough.”

“But you deserve so much more,” he said through the puckered lips her hand had created.

She laughed gently, “I don’t want more, you idiot. I just want you.”

“Well, had I known that I surely wouldn’t be trying this hard,” he joked, still speaking through his squished lips.

“Stop talking and kiss me!” she begged.

“Now here I thought if you wanted to kiss a boy, you could just kiss him. Where is your “can-do” attitude?”

“I need your participation! You’re too tall and I don’t want to hurt you by pulling you down to me!”

“What?” he asked, stepping back from her, utterly perplexed. After thinking for a moment he continued, “Is **that** why you don’t initiate kissing me?” Even with only the moonlight he could see her blush. “You actually think you are going to hurt me if you pull my head or my neck down to kiss you?”

She rolled her eyes and bashfully whispered, “Yes.”

He guffawed, “Anne, I do manual labor every day of my life and I have carried you on multiple occasions, sometimes against your will. I’m pretty sure I could handle the ‘strain’ of a kiss.”

“Please, the thought isn’t that farfetched.”

“Yes, it truly is. Oh my goodness, that’s such a relief, I had just assumed that I enjoyed kissing you more than you enjoyed kissing me.”

“What?!?” she screamed and beat on his chest with her fists, “How could you possibly think that?”

“Well can you blame me? I’m **always** initiating every amorous activity of ours. And while you’ve never given the impression that you didn’t enjoy what we were doing, you also never made the first move.”

“Never Gilbert? Really? You’re going with never?”

“Well, I kind of changed my mind after how you kissed me at the beach, but that whole day was something else, I figured you just got lost in the moment that one time.”

“I did! I absolutely got lost in the moment. I get lost in every moment with you! Do you not know that? Can’t you feel that? Every damn time you kiss me I am completely gone and it is agonizing waiting for you to kiss me again because you don’t kiss me enough and yes, I was under the impression that I could hurt you if I pulled you down as fervently as I wish to.”

“I’m sorry Anne, you are so intelligent, I just don't understand how you could believe that. I simply can’t fathom how your brilliant mind conjured such an irrational thought.”

She took a deep breath, “Gilbert Blythe, please kiss me.”

He leaned in to her and whispered, “No.”

She opened her eyes, having closed them in anticipation of the kiss that was surely coming. “Excuse me?”

“No. I will not kiss you. You want an equal partnership? Then you kiss me. How dare you demand that I always be the one to initiate the kiss,” he was laughing through his argument, “That is not equality, Anne, pull your weight.”

She gasped and stood with her hands on her hips, “You insufferable, infuriating, conceited ball of twine! You think I still want to kiss you after that audacious argument and your demand that I kiss you?”

He started slowly circling her, “Yes, I do. Because I know you, and I know you found my demand that you kiss me appealing. And no part of you found that argument audacious. You found it attractive, alluring,” he was behind her when he whispered in her ear, “I dare say even amatory. You might want to brush up on your vocabulary before the exams.”

“How dare you insult my vocabulary,” she said lowly, trying not to laugh, thinking back to how Miss Stacy told him not to poke the bear and he said he couldn’t help it. He really couldn’t help it and she loved him for it.

He stood an arm’s length in front of her. “Kiss me, Anne.”

She approached him slowly, tentatively reaching her hand up to the back of his head.

“No,” he said stepping back from her, “not like that.”

“Pardon?” she asked, retreating, “Are you seriously critiquing me right now? Am I suddenly not living up to the great Doctor Blythe’s expectations?”

He laughed, “I haven’t seen you move that hesitantly since… I honestly can’t think of a time. You act with certainty Anne, you always have and it’s one of the things I love most about you. Everything you do is done with enthusiasm and conviction. Don’t act like you’re afraid of me or my reaction, you know you have no reason to be. You know I want you. You know what you want. Get it.”

She marched over to him, grabbed the collar of his vest and forcefully pulled him down to meet her lips, doing her best to kiss him senseless before moving her hands around his neck and into his hair, eliciting a moan in response. Anne didn’t think of kissing as a competition usually, but she was definitely winning this time. Gilbert would have vehemently disagreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one really took a turn I wasn't expecting, but we got another Anne and Gilbert argument out of it, so that was a lot of fun. It was supposed to end with a really sweet, simple and romantic kiss after she said "I just want you" like with Megan Follows and Jonathan Crombie, but you saw what happened and I hope you liked it.
> 
> Pardon any mistakes- I'll try to read it through again tomorrow and edit it for the things my tired eyes missed tonight.
> 
> I had huge issues posting this chapter. No idea what's going on. Technology is aggravating at times.


	11. Good Thing We're Not a Proper Couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel finds delight in catching Anne and Gilbert together at 4 in the morning. Moody and Ruby share a moment despite (or because of) an accidental revelation from Gilbert. Diana teaches Anne and Gilbert the rules of courtship, and they aren't feeling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay, hopefully some of you are still willing to read this even after waiting so long. Probably 4-6 chapters left for this story and then I have an idea of how to continue one of my other ones (Something Just Like This).

“Well,” Rachel said, staring at Anne and Gilbert, “Well, well, well.”

She sat at the head of her table wrapped in her robe, Anne to her left and Gilbert to her right. It was four in the morning and they were taking turns looking awkwardly at each other and down in their laps. Thomas was outside, watching the school burn. The building was nearly entirely consumed already, but one could never be too careful. And this careful one didn’t envy the lecture that awaited the two young people inside soon to be delivered by his wife.

Rachel was finding entirely too much joy in the misery she was inflicting upon the teenagers before her just by sitting with them. When the two had stormed into the house alerting them to the fire, they all went out and Thomas determined fetching the fire wagon would do no good. The building would be a complete loss. The further they let it burn down, the easier it would be to clean up and the faster they could rebuild. Rachel, Gilbert and Anne then gathered in the living room and after a fair bit of yelling and finger pointing, they had worked through their frustration and together determined the likely culprits behind the heinous act. Rachel would deal with them later today and she was looking forward to it, but the anticipation of that encounter didn’t hold a candle to the excitement she was feeling of getting to lecture Gilbert and Anne about proper decorum.

 _I think I should let them stew just a little bit longer,_ she thought. “I’ll go get some tea. It’s been a trying morning and I assume you two have been up all night,” she said suggestively.

The minute she left the room, Anne and Gilbert looked at each other with wide eyes.

Gilbert emphatically mouthed “Fuck!” and Anne dissolved into silent laughter. Over the past couple months Anne had become acutely aware of exactly how Gilbert’s vocabulary had grown during his time abroad. That was not a word he often used, but when he did, he meant it.

“What are we going to do?” she whispered. “Do you think she’ll kill us?”

“Possibly maim. She probably won’t kill us,” he said, his leg bouncing wildly under the table. When they saw the school burning, they didn’t think anything of it, they just ran to the nearest house, forgetting that it was the middle of the night and that that house belonged to Thomas and Rachel Lynde. And now, here they sat, awaiting an unknown fate.

As they heard Rachel approach, they each sat up straighter and prepared for the lecture.

“Now,” Rachel said as she served the tea, “For as intelligent as you both claim and appear to be, I find it utterly astounding that you would be stupid enough to not only be together at this time of the night, but to actually be **caught** together.”

“If I may interject,” Anne began, “We didn’t get caught Mrs. Lynde. I think that is very important to point out. We came here for help when we saw the school ablaze. We didn’t think to consider the implications of being seen together. It just wasn’t as important as the school burning down.”

“Tell me the whole story, start at the beginning.”

“No thank you,” Gilbert said firmly. “Mrs. Lynde, I’m sorry but you don’t need to know the whole story.”

“Excuse me Gilbert Blythe but how am I to protect you from scandal if I don’t know what happened?”

Having given the situation some thought, he confidently said, “There’s no scandal here unless you decide to share what you’ve seen, which frankly isn’t much. **That’s** when we will have a scandal. We don’t need protecting Mrs. Lynde, though I’m happy to hear you offering and not dragging us to the church. We were talking out on the cliff and fell asleep. That’s it. You said it yourself: we are smart. You know me, and I would never compromise Anne. More importantly, you know Anne and know that she would never do anything that would risk her future. Did we make a mistake falling asleep together? Obviously. But when we had to decide between saving our school or possibly letting people know that we spent the night together, there really wasn’t a choice to be made: there was only one right answer. You and Thomas are the only ones who have seen us. As far as I’m concerned, we don’t have a problem.”

Anne chimed in, “Mrs. Lynde, we appreciate the discretion you’ve granted us throughout our relationship more than we can say, and I know we are indebted to you, but I implore you to keep this to yourself. Please?”

Rachel looked back and forth between the pair, honestly surprised by their maturity in the situation. “Of course. When are you going to be publicly courting?”

“As soon as we complete our exams. Just a few more days,” Anne told her, and Gilbert was relieved to see that she was excited to be through with the secret keeping.

“Well, I guess I can keep it in a few more days. Anne, I’ve finished a couple of the dresses Marilla and I have been working on. It’s nearly dawn now. I’ll fetch them for you, and you can take them home. I trust you will tell Marilla what has transpired.”

“Yes,” Anne groaned.

“Gilbert come with me a moment; I have some food for you to take with you that I had planned on delivering this morning.”

Anne waited while Gilbert followed Rachel back to the kitchen. When they returned, Gilbert looked dazed.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m fine. I’ll see you later. I just need to talk to Mrs. Lynde about something.”

“I’ll wait.”

“No dear,” Rachel said handing Anne a large bag containing her dresses. “It’s light enough for you to see, and for people to see you. You will head home now; alone. I will speak with Gilbert and send him on his way in ten minutes or so.”

“Thank you for the dresses Mrs. Lynde.” She paused and then weakly said, “Alright, bye then?” with an awkward wave. It was strange to leave him with such a sterile goodbye after spending so much time together, but regardless, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and turned to leave the house.

Apparently, Gilbert thought so too and he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. He kissed her languidly to the continual sound of Rachel clearing her throat and then whispered, “Bye Anne.”

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you just did that,” she scolded him while trying not to laugh and rushed to the door. Rachel kept her mouth shut until Anne was halfway through the threshold, “Good day, Anne!”

“Um, yeah, bye Mrs. Lynde!” Her face was scarlet as she left. To think Gilbert just kissed her in front of Rachel Lynde. There must have been another option somewhere between the barely platonic goodbye they started with and absolutely divine kiss he chose to leave on her lips. Ten more seconds of that and she surely would have passed out. It really was a very simple kiss, nothing remotely scandalous about it besides the fact that they technically shouldn’t be kissing at all, but it somehow felt it deeper in her soul than their other simple kisses had, and she had no idea why. _What on earth could have triggered something like that in front of Rachel Lynde?_ She would need to check back with him regarding that later.

\---

There was a brief silence after the door closed.

“Has Marilla ever mentioned how like your father you are? Particularly with regard to bold displays of affection and ignorance of courtship rules.”

“Mrs. Lynde,” he said laughing, “that was nothing. Remember that lip injury I had? That was from her.”

“You cheeky boy.”

“Yeah, I’ve been getting a lot of that lately. And technically we are not courting, so we haven’t technically broken any rules. I have a question for you though if you wouldn’t mind indulging me,” he said. Despite having just been seen with Anne in the middle of the night by the biggest gossip in town, he felt he had the upper hand right now. For the first time, he felt he was about to see Rachel squirm and he was thrilled. “Something caught my eye when I went to get the food. Would you follow me please.”

He led her back to where she had picked up Anne’s dresses. It looked like this room was used primarily as a sewing room, with bolts of fabric leaning against the wall and various half completed dresses, shirts and trousers lying around. They stopped at the door and Gilbert leaned as casually as possible against the door frame as they both looked into the room from the threshold. Rachel gasped and her demeanor quickly turned nervous.

“Is there anything in this room that should concern me?” he asked as innocently as he could muster.

She looked around, making a show of ignorance, “I don’t see why anything here would interest you unless you are considering a lifestyle change. Handsome as you are, I dare say that a dress wouldn’t suit you.”

“If you think you are going to get out of this by complimenting me, you’re wrong,” he said flatly. “Mrs. Lynde, there is an Anne-sized mannequin wearing a white gown in your sewing room.”

She dramatically acted surprised, “So there is! Would you look at that?”

“What exactly should I make of it?” he asked.

“Well there’s never any harm in being prepared. There are many girls coming of age and eligible to marry. This could fit anyone at this stage of design and completion.”

“Yes, yes, that’s true, I see what you mean. That’s a very fair point,” he said, trying not to laugh. “Um, Mrs. Lynde, just a quick question for you: Would you mind explaining the ball on top sporting two braids made of copper colored yarn then? Also, I’m pretty sure you stole that ball from the school.”

“Oh, that’s just coincidental. It’s nice to envision the gown on an actual person and I just happened to have that lying around.”

Gilbert pointedly looked at a pile of skeins in the corner. It wasn’t a large pile, but it contained several shades of brown, yellow and gold.

She continued, “And you hooligans kicked that ball into our yard and never retrieved it. Don’t you dare accuse me of theft.”

“Mrs. Lynde?” he asked seriously, “Is that for Anne?”

“Oh please, you two aren’t even engaged! It would be foolish to start a dress already.”

“I could not agree more.”

“It could be years until you marry!”

“Yes, it could and it likely will.”

“Well, then there you have it. There would be no sense in beginning a gown for her yet. Who knows when or even if a wedding will even occur!”

He turned his attention toward Rachel and stared at her while she looked away from him, “When. Not if. Rachel Lynde. Is that Anne’s wedding gown?”

She looked at him almost apologetically. “Yes,” she said quietly. “It isn’t exactly proper for you to see it before the wedding.”

“Well, good thing we’re not exactly a proper couple,” he said softly, his eyes moving back to the dress as he turned and leaned against the door frame again, his hands in his pockets. He smiled.

“Do you like it?” she asked quietly as she placed her hand on his elbow.

“It’s perfect,” he said.

“So when will it be then? The wedding, that is.”

He chuckled, “I don’t see how that is any of your business right now. When we figure it out, I’m sure you’ll hear.”

“I owe that girl a lot you know? I was terribly callous to her when she arrived. Said all sorts of terrible things to her; right to her face. I shudder to think that I showed her such a cruelty,” she took a deep breath. “Anne has changed me, much for the better. She’s taught me a great deal about the value of one’s character and the resiliency of spirit. I’ve always considered myself so strong, but I am nothing compared to her.”

“No one is,” Gilbert said quietly. “Might I offer you a suggestion?”

“Hm?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Hide that dress or become a better liar,” he said. He walked back to the table, picked up the food and left without another word.

\---

Anne walked home with a smile on her face. Gilbert hadn’t lied. They did fall asleep talking on the cliff, but they had a bit of fun beforehand.

She had been wanting to try something for a while but wasn’t sure how he would respond. Gilbert essentially asking her to prove how much she wanted him had given her all the courage she needed. After they had been kissing for a while, she rose to the top of her toes and then dropped her weight and twisted her torso, bringing him to the ground in a surprisingly graceful manner and then she straddled him, sitting on his stomach.

When she broke the kiss and sat up looking down at him, he looked back up at her in awe, but laughed and said, “This is a really terrible idea.”

She shrugged, “If you don’t like it, then do something about it.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” he laughed, “I only said I think it’s a terrible idea.”

“The way I see it is that you’re stuck, so it doesn’t much matter what you think.”

Before she could take her next breath, she was on her back with Gilbert’s face hovering above her, his body lying on his side next to her. “Don’t get cocky,” he whispered. “Strong as you may be, I’m still stronger and much bigger.”

“But you’re also more ticklish,” she said, her hands going to his waist where she knew he was ticklish.

He looked down at her smirking with his eyebrows raised, her tickling having absolutely no effect on him.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you broken?”

“I think to elicit a tickle your nerves need to be surprised. Your hands have been all over me Anne; my nerves are not surprised anymore.”

“Well, that’s a little disappointing, I thought I had you.”

“You absolutely have me,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss her.

\---

Sharing the news with Marilla went about as well as could be expected, Marilla informing her yet again that she wasn’t being careful enough and that Anne should be happy that she caught Rachel in a good mood.

Sebastian had laughed loudly when Gilbert shared the events with him, but he didn’t mention the dress to him. Gilbert and Sebastian went over to Miss Stacy’s house early to inform her about the school. Miss Stacy and Gilbert then went over to the school while Sebastian stayed and helped move some furniture around in her place so they would have room for all the students to study. Sebastian was privy to Diana’s wish to keep studying so when he was done he went to the Barry’s to inform them of the school being burned down and sharing that the students would be gathering casually together at Miss Stacy’s to discuss the events. Diana understood him immediately and grabbed her bag to go study with her friends. She parted ways with Sebastian at the end of the drive and hugged him in gratitude of sharing the opportunity with her.

Rachel, Thomas and Anne were already at the school when Miss Stacy and Gilbert arrived, and they discussed how to proceed. Students would be studying at Miss Stacy’s today and Thursday in preparation for their exams on Friday.

\---

After they all got settled in at Miss Stacy’s they began studying while Muriel walked around serving lemonade, seething with anger. She was thankful she had a warning of the day’s events and could compose herself a bit before addressing her students at the schoolhouse, but she felt powerless now after the attack. Regardless, she could not let those small minds limit her students. This year was likely to see Avonlea’s greatest number of students head off to college ever because of her dedication. When the time came, the results would speak for themselves. And she hoped they would be impactful. Schools can be rebuilt, supplies bought, but this would not limit her work and her dedicated pupils.

Gilbert and Anne were sitting together on the window seat, much too closely if they were still trying to hide their relationship.

“Gilbert. Anne.” Miss Stacy looked at them with wide eyes and they moved apart from each other a bit.

“Anne, can I borrow your pen?” Gilbert asked.

“You didn’t bring a pen? To study?” she laughed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“There was a lot happening this morning and I’m tired. Give me a break!” he looked at her and pouted.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she hissed at him. “Don’t look at me like that. Why is your need for my pen greater than mine?”

“It isn’t, but maybe I would have remembered a pen had I not slept most of the night on the cold, hard ground,” he whispered.

“I didn’t hear you complaining before!” she hissed.

He smirked and whispered, “let me borrow your pen or I’ll kiss you. Right now.”

“You wouldn’t!” she mouthed.

Raising his eyebrows he said, “Wouldn’t I?”

“Anne! Will you please tell Ruby to focus on her geometry?” Jane interrupted.

“I have a conundrum!” Ruby complained.

Anne slammed her pen down in exasperation on Gilbert’s book in his lap. “If it’s math, Gilbert will be a better choice for help. And now he even has a pen,” she growled as Gilbert laughed.

“No it’s nothing like that; she keeps turning geometric shapes into hearts and staring like some love-sick fool.”

“Well then Gilbert definitely can’t help you,” Diana teased. Gilbert glared at her.

“Anne?” Ruby whispered as she squeezed in next to Anne, “How do I get Moody to kiss me?”

“What?” Anne said loudly. She leaned toward Ruby and whispered, “Sorry, that took me by surprise. Just ask him to kiss you, I’m sure he’d be thrilled. Or you could ask if you could kiss him. Or, if you are confident about his feelings for you, you could just kiss him. Don’t attack him with it or anything, just lean in and I’m sure he will catch on.”

“Could I really just ask him to kiss me? Isn’t that odd?” she responded quietly.

“I hope not. I asked Gilbert to kiss me last night and it wasn’t strange,” Ruby didn’t need to know about the entire argument. 

Ruby went over to the other side and sat next to Gilbert.

“Gilbert?” she whispered, “Can you tell Moody to kiss me?”

He couldn’t help a chuckle escape him at the absurd request. “No. I’ve meddled enough just to get you two together. You’re on your own.”

“Please?” she whined quietly.

“Ruby, just kiss him. It’ll be fine. I promise,” he said lowly. He couldn’t believe he was talking to Ruby Gillis about kissing Moody Spurgeon. The study session had certainly devolved.

“But what if he doesn’t want me to?” she said more loudly.

“Normally I would say to ask, but I can guarantee you that he wants to kiss you. He wanted to kiss you three months ago,” he was trying not to get annoyed. _This must be how Bash felt with me regarding Anne all these years._

“Then why doesn’t he?”

“Well, it isn’t exactly proper, and he probably doesn’t want to push you into anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

“You two kiss all the time!” her volume rising above a whisper. Luckily their classmates in the room were involved in their own conversations.

“Shhh! Ruby!” he looked around to see is anyone heard, but it didn’t seem that anyone was paying attention. “Who in their right mind would consider me and Anne a proper couple?”

Ruby sniggered. “Are you sure he wants to kiss me?”

“Yes! He talks about it all the time!”

“He does?!” she said loudly.

Gilbert’s voice raised as well and he nearly yelled in exasperation, “Of course he does! He’s in love-”

Anne hit his arm and yelled, “Gilbert!”

Gilbert hid his face in his hands and Anne swore she could hear him say “Fuuuuuuuuuck” as he exhaled very slowly. Diana started laughing maniacally at Gilbert’s unintentional revealing of Moody’s feelings and everyone else in the room was now staring at him.

Anne kept hitting his arm and said, “You stupid, stupid boy!”

“He what?!” Ruby squeaked.

Anne took a deep breath. “Um, Rubes, I think we’ve heard enough from Gilbert on the matter. Maybe you should speak with Moody instead?”

“I’d think I’d like Gilbert to finish what he was saying,” she asked, her voice still an octave higher than usual.

“No you wouldn’t,” he said as he stood suddenly and left the room, giving up on the conversation. After he left the room, the other conversations resumed. As he passed through the kitchen he apologized to Moody and then went outside.

Moody looked up in confusion and then followed him. Ruby and Anne saw him retreating as they entered the room and soon made their way out too.

“What are you talking about, Gilbert?” Moody asked as he caught up.

“I, um, I accidentally told Ruby you loved her?”

“WHAT?! How do you even know that?” Moody panicked.

“Because I have eyes!!!” Gilbert yelled.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” Moody repeated, his breathing accelerating at an alarming pace. “Alright, so since you seem to know everything, what do I do now?”

Gilbert was frustrated. He could handle the periodic chaos of his own relationship, but he was quickly learning that getting mixed up in someone else’s was not at all enjoyable, even if it was two people he cared so much about. “I don’t know! Okay? I don’t know everything! Especially about things like this. I didn’t mean to say it alright? I’m sorry!”

Moody took a deep breath. Of course Gilbert didn’t mean to cause harm, but he figured he still might be able to offer some advice. “Well, what would you do?”

Gilbert smiled, suddenly relieved, and let out a breathy chuckle, “Ah, Moody, I’d turn around.”

He looked utterly perplexed. “What kind of advice is that?” he asked with his arms out.

Gilbert put his hands on Moody’s shoulders and spun him around where he found himself inches away from Ruby, who placed her hands on the sides of his face, rose to the tips of her toes and gave him a kiss. She lowered her heels, looked up at his and blushed prettily.

“No!” Miss Stacy yelled as she rushed out of her house. “Not you too! Not here! This is getting out of control! You kids can’t just go around kissing people anywhere you want to! I will not be put in a position where I will have to lie to your parents.”

“I don’t have parents,” Gilbert said.

“Me neither,” said Anne, “not technically.”

“Moody, Ruby, you two should be more careful,” Gilbert laughed as he and Anne walked back toward the house, leaving a mortified Ruby and Moody.

“I’m very happy for you two, but please don’t let me see that again. And I apologize, I didn’t mean to embarrass you at all, I’m just frazzled from the day’s events.” She paused as Moody and Ruby seemed to be comforted by her apology. “Hey, watch this:” she said quietly.

“Gilbert Blythe. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.” They stopped and turned around to face Miss Stacy.

“Yes?” they asked in unison.

“Should they be careful like you two were at the beach?”

Gilbert and Anne both turned bright red and Moody and Ruby laughed.

“He did **not** tell you that story!” Gilbert said angrily, utterly astounded that Sebastian broke his promise.

“No he didn’t,” she said. “But from what I hear, it’s you two who should be more careful. Remind me, who was it who discovered that the school was burning at what was it? Three? Four in the morning?”

“Message received,” said Anne quickly before rushing inside.

“Loud and clear, Miss Stacy,” Gilbert added, relieved that Sebastian kept his word.

“Get inside you two,” she said to Moody and Ruby, “You can continue this later."

\---

Thankfully, the rest of the study session passed uneventfully. No one seemed to have noticed or cared about their brief departure from the house. They studied as a group until lunch and when they dispersed, Diana joined Anne and Gilbert at Green Gables to eat and continue studying. Diana’s parents were still under the impression that Diana was giving Anne lessons in etiquette, so they went over a few things briefly just before they parted for supper.

“Proper courting etiquette,” Diana began authoritatively. “Anne, you are not to address a man without first being introduced.”

“Excuse me?”

“You shall partake in no impure conversations. You may not be alone together and there is to be no physical contact between you.”

“Well, that’s just ridiculous,” Anne said and Gilbert laughed. They were sitting together on the couch, Anne leaning into him with his arm around her shoulders.

“As you are aware, Gilbert, you may offer your arm to Anne if the road is uneven… or the beach…” she smiled wickedly.

“Diana…” Anne warned.

“Anne, you are permitted flirt with your fan.”

“What fan?” she yelled in frustration, “What does that even mean?”

Diana continued calmly, though thoroughly enjoying Anne’s reactions, “Your outings are to occur in daylight and you may not ride alone together in a closed carriage. Anne you are not to be invited to Gilbert’s house; your meetings should occur in public or at your place of residence only. When you get engaged, Gilbert you may not see any other women.”

“Doesn’t that go without saying? Did they really need to make that a rule?” Gilbert asked, and he kissed Anne’s cheek.

“Ahem,” Diana jokingly scolded, “Once you are engaged, you are permitted to hold hands in public, go for walks alone and take unchaperoned rides. In addition, you may meet behind closed doors, but not after dark.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Gilbert began, “In two days, we have to act like strangers and we can’t resume any sort of normalcy between us until we are engaged?” _Well,_ he thought, _if I needed any further encouragement, there it is._

“Theoretically yes, but obviously your households are understanding and it’s not like it will be an issue when you two are attending different schools.”

“Ugh,” Anne groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Well, Anne, I’m glad you had the idea to keep this quiet for so long.”

“And I’m grateful our families indulged us. I didn’t realize just how many rules there were. Or how strict it all was.”

“It’s only strict if there are people around us enforcing the rules,” Gilbert stated. “We can just be us at our houses, and we’ll behave properly in public.”

“What happened to you two not being a proper couple?” Diana asked.

“Well, currently we aren’t, but it looks like we’re going to need to figure it out, to appease the townsfolk,” Gilbert said, annoyed.

“Why?” Anne asked.

“You just heard why,” Diana said, “Those are the rules.”

“People know we are close already, I don’t this we should be expected to act as a typical courting couple. Often those couples have barely even met when the courtship begins whereas Gilbert is already part of my family. We’ll just figure out our own way, like we always have.”

“Or you could just get married,” Diana suggested. “Then you can do whatever you want.”

“You know that isn’t a possibility,” Anne said, trying to believe the logic behind her words. “It just doesn’t make sense. I’m only sixteen and we won’t even be living in the same province.”

“She’s right,” Gilbert agreed, “It doesn’t make sense for us to get married yet. She at least needs to get her teaching certificate, and then possibly even wait for me to finish at Toronto.”

Anne scoffed. “I am **not** waiting that long to marry you,” she muttered.

“What?” Gilbert asked, surprised. “Really?”

“Well, it’s like you said, maybe we can arrange something else besides waiting six years?”

Gilbert kissed her passionately, pressing her firmly into the back of the couch.

“I’m sorry, did I miss something? Are you two already engaged?” Diana asked.

“No,” Anne said, ending the kiss. “Don’t you think I would have told you?”

“Well, you didn’t tell me when you got together, so how am I to know?”

Gilbert looked at the clock and sighed. “I need to get home,” he said reluctantly.

“Me too,” Diana added as she gathered her things. “Any additional questions regarding your impending courtship?”

“No questions! No conformity!” Anne yelled like she was fighting for her rights again.

“That’s my girl,” Gilbert said, and he gave her a parting kiss on the cheek.

\---

Gilbert and Diana walked a ways together, even though it wasn’t the most direct path to Gilbert’s house.

“So, Gilbert,” Diana began after they were off the Cuthbert’s property.

Gilbert knew immediately what she was going to ask. “Diana, you are one of my favorite people, but I doubt asking Anne to marry me is any of your business.”

“It’s true you carry the ring around with you though?”

“Yep.”

“Can I see it?” she asked hopefully.

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because I want her to see it first. Not even Bash has seen the ring, just the pouch.”

“So that means…”

“That I’m likely the only person alive who has seen it. Yeah.”

“Wow,” Diana said breathlessly. “That’s remarkable. How wonderful that you will be sharing that with her. When will that be exactly?”

Gilbert laughed, “When the time is right. You can’t trick the information out of me Diana, especially not when I don’t even know what I’m planning to do. Or when.”

“I think you’re lying Gilbert Blythe,” she laughed, “And Anne is right, you are a terrible liar.”

“Hey! Be nice to me! This is kind of a big deal.”

“Gilbert and Anne Blythe,” Diana said dreamily. “This is a **huge** deal. And to think just three years ago she was beating you up with school supplies. Tell me honestly, is that when you fell for her?”

“Please Diana, I don’t know that you can fall in love with someone that quickly.”

“But you did.”

“And I don’t think that you should fall in love with people who hit you for trying to talk to them.”

“But you did.”

He laughed, “Look, I don’t think it took that long and yes, I know that sounds ridiculous. I didn’t know it at the time, but there was something from the moment I met her in the woods. That very first moment. I knew then that something was different with her. I honestly don’t know when it became love, I really don’t, I’ve thought about it a lot and can’t determine a moment, which leads me to believe it was there all along. If nothing else, it was complete, utter captivation from the moment I looked into her eyes and I’ve been hers ever since.”

“So that notice you wrote for her from Pride and Prejudice?” Diana asked

He sighed, “‘I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.’ Yeah, that pretty much encapsulates the situation.”

“I love seeing you like this,” Diana said, smiling.

“What do you mean?”

“Gilbert Blythe: master of facts and all things logical completely overcome and overpowered by something as unpredictable, illogical and inexplicable as love.”

He laughed and considered her statement. “Yeah, I love seeing me like this too.”


	12. Q&A Featuring the Future Mr. & Mrs. Blythe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert reveal their relationship to their friends and classmates. The news is met with a variety of responses, but mostly lots and lots of questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More fluff! Happy Friday, everybody!

Thursday went much the same, though without any dramatic revelations or buildings burning down. They all studied at Miss Stacy’s in the morning and afterward Moody, Ruby, Diana and Gilbert all studied together in the orchard, each having packed a lunch for a picnic. Jerry even joined them for a bit before having to go back to work. Gilbert and Anne enjoyed supper together at Green Gables before parting to complete their chores before heading off to bed.

\---

“So, today’s the big day then?” Sabastian said as Gilbert sauntered into the room. “You look confident. That’s a good start.”

“I am confident. I figure at this point I know what I know. Getting all worked up about it isn’t going to help anything. Plus,” he smiled, “Afterward, Anne and I will be courting officially. None of this hiding anymore.”

“For all the good its done. I think half the town knows something is going on between you two.”

“Who cares? There is. And pretty soon **everyone** will know.”

“Wow, you really are excited, aren’t you? You know the courtship rules though, you know things will have to change.”

“Meh- I’m not too worried about it. As long as we can be ourselves at home, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Alright then,” Sebastian said proudly, “You leave this house a guy with a lady friend and you will return a courting man and student at the University of Toronto.”

“That’s the hope.”

Sebastian smiled, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes.

“Hey man, you alright?”

“Yeah, of course, I’m just going to miss you that’s all. It’s going to be hard without you around.”

“I’ll miss you too, but you’ll be fine. People here have come a long way in accepting you, those who matter anyway. You’re a proper landowner, not some freeloader and I’m not leaving for a while yet. And I’ll be back to visit to remind you how annoying I am.”

He shook his head in astonishment. “It’s just hard to believe that scrawny foolish moke I met just a couple years ago who couldn’t hold his liquor or even admit his feelings for a girl is the man I’m looking at now."

Gilbert smiled at him mischievously, “You love me,” he teased.

“God help me I do,” he sighed, feigning disappointment in himself.

Gilbert walked over to him and hugged him tightly, “I love you too, brother. None of this would have been possible without you. Not a thing. I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing. A life for a life. We’re even.”

“I need to get going. After the exams we’re heading out to the ruins.”

“To celebrate?”

“Supposedly. We’ll see what happens. But I probably won’t see you until tomorrow morning.”

“Be safe!” Sebastian yelled, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

He stopped at the door. “Permission granted to get drunk and propose in a wash bin. Got it!”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he paused and looked concerned, “Wait. Tell me true- are you proposing today?”

“No. I’m not even taking the ring. Don’t want to risk losing it at the ruins.”

“Good man. This day is momentous enough as it is.”

“Agreed. See you tomorrow, Bash,” Gilbert said. “I bet Miss Stacy’s bored today if you’re interested in some company. She’s had a hard week, might need a… friend.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Absolutely nothing,” he smiled and walked out the door to go pick up Anne.

\---

Anne and Gilbert walked to the test together, quizzing each other the entire way. They arrived early and continued reviewing the material as their classmates appeared one by one and quickly increased the anxiety level.

“Gilbert, you brought my pen, right?”

“You mean to tell me Anne Shirley-Cuthbert came to sit for an exam without something to write with?”

“That’s not what I said, but I want my pen back.”

“Don’t worry, Carrots,” he said quietly as he handed her per to her, “I’ve got you covered.”

She looked down at her pen. Gilbert had tied the tiniest piece of paper to the top with a piece of thread. On it he had written _I love you._

She looked up at him and whispered, “I love you too.”

“So,” Diana interrupted them brightly. “Who do you think is going to get the highest score?” The rest of the class gathered around to hear what they expected to be an argument, or at least a show of bravado. They were all stunned silent when they each said the name of the other and then started laughing.

“Come on! One final Gilbert and Anne argument? For the sake of nostalgia?” Diana complained.

“What do you say, do you want to start?” Gilbert asked Anne.

“Oddly enough, I can’t think of anything.”

“Hm. Me neither.”

The proctor arrived and they followed him inside and got seated. Gilbert sat down across from Anne and upon seeing her nerves pick up, he reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze.

“Care to make it interesting?” Gilbert asked, just as he did with the cake competition.

“Loser has to kiss the winner?” she whispered.

“What a burden!” he joked.

“I couldn’t come up with anything!” she laughed. “I just can’t think of anything I would be reluctant to do for you, if you want something from me just ask.”

He smiled at her sweetly, “Noted.”

“Silence!” the proctor proclaimed. The students received the directions and the examination began.

\---

Gilbert finished first and went outside to wait for Anne. She finished about ten minutes later and when she exited the building she was immediately swept up into Gilbert’s arms and he spun her in a circle while she laughed.

“How’d it go?” he asked as he set her back down, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.

“Great. I think. I hope. You?”

“Same.”

They stared at each other silently.

“I… I don’t know what to do now. Or how to act. Everything we’ve been working for is just suddenly over. What do we do now? Just wait for the others?” she asked, confused.

“No,” he said, and he kissed her. It was strange kissing out in the open like this, and completely inappropriate, but she deepened the kiss regardless. It lasted for a couple minutes before they decided they shouldn’t push their luck and went over to sit on the pews that had been removed from the church to make way for the exam tables.

Josie was the next one to finish. “Ugh, seriously, now this is what we have to deal with?” She said, taking in the sight of Anne leaning into Gilbert with his right arm resting on her shoulders, the fingers of his left hand intertwined with hers on his lap . She tried to sound annoyed, but they could tell she was trying not to laugh. “So what now?”

“Now we are officially courting,” Anne said smiling and Gilbert kissed her cheek.

“Are you stupid? You can’t act like that if you’re courting.”

“Yeah, we considered that and we’re going to do what we want,” Gilbert said.

One by one the other students joined them and upon taking in the pair, presented a variety of reactions.

“Finally!” Jane yelled at them, “This has been going on for a while now, yes?”

“I would have backed off if I had known you were together,” Charlie said apologetically.

“You’re still not getting it Charlie,” Gilbert replied, “You should have backed off when Anne said that she wasn’t interested in you.”

“At least she never hit me with a slate,” he argued jokingly.

“She only did that one time, and she never said she wasn’t interested in me,” he smiled. “She just beat me up a bit. Come on Charlie, don’t you know anything about girls?”

“No. Do you?”

Gilbert laughed. “Not really, no.”

Tillie sat down as close to Anne as she could and whispered, “Have you kissed?”

Anne whispered back, “Yes.”

“Was it amazing?”

“Yes. It’s always amazing.”

Tillie dramatically fanned herself with her hand.

“I knew you were sweet on her! Ever since you beat up Billy,” Paul I. said.

Within an hour everyone had finished, and the couple was surrounded by their friends and classmates, questions coming at them from all sides.

“Look we’re flattered you are all so interested in us, but wouldn’t you rather get the celebration going?” Gilbert said, trying to get them to move on.

The group looked at him and most of them were shaking their heads.

“Too bad, but I’ll give you a quick summary. We have been together since the evening following the dance rehearsal at school. Our families know about it and are very supportive. Other people who knew the entire time include Rachel and Thomas Lynde, Miss Stacy, Jerry, Cole, Josephine Barry, Moody, Ruby and Diana. I am going to Toronto next year and Anne is going to Queens and yes it will be difficult, but things are going really well between us and we are confident that the distance won’t be an insurmountable burden. Hearing no further questions-” nearly everyone started talking, asking questions to them and each other. Gilbert spoke up, “Hearing no further questions! Let’s go!”

He stood, pulled Anne up and they headed down to the ruins to the protests of their friends who were relentless in their questioning. Some moonshine appeared out of nowhere and was passed around and Gilbert produced a couple bottles of his apple brandy while Diana and Ruby set out some food for everyone to munch on.

The liquor proved to be a welcome distraction for a time. They all hung around for a while, just talking and drinking. Eventually they started a large bonfire and even got a couple games going. As the group observed Anne and Gilbert together throughout playing the games, the questions started again. Ruby, Moody and Diana tried to help answer what questions they could, but it wasn’t really their story to tell. Anne, having had plenty to drink and therefore an overabundance of confidence decided to end the game of Red Rover. She got up on an old, overturned boat and yelled out:

“Enough! As a group you may come up with ten questions you’d like to ask us regarding our relationship. If they aren’t indecent requests, we will answer them for you and then we will move on because this night isn’t supposed to be about us,” she said pointing between her and Gilbert. “It’s supposed to be about **us** ,” she said circling her arms around pointing to everyone.”

“Do I get a say in that?” Gilbert asked, not really caring what the answer was.

“No,” Anne said assertively to the laughter of the group. “Diana, Moody and Ruby may not participate in the creation of the questions because you know way too much already,” Anne directed. “You have five minutes. Write them down and we will respond to everyone.”

They were all huddled in a group before they could hear Diana say mockingly, “Yes, Mrs. Blythe! Goodness Anne you finish your exams and you’re already in teacher mode.” Diana fell into Anne, who was barely able to absorb the unexpected impact.

“Diana, how much have you had to drink?” Gilbert asked.

“More than a little and less than enough!” Diana said and started giggling hysterically.

“Alright, please drink some water.”

“ **You** drink some water Doctor Gilly.”

“Wow. Maybe you’ll be nicer to me when I tell you that I told Jerry to meet us out here tonight,” he said, eyeing someone making his way toward the group.

“You invited Jerry?” Diana said, straightening her hair.

Anne laughed, “Diana, stop that. You don’t need to worry about how you look, you are always exquisite.”

Gilbert nodded and shot his eyes behind Diana again. She looked over her shoulder, saw Jerry and ran to him, greeting him with a long kiss. Anne wished the others would have seen to alleviate some of the attention off her and Gilbert, but no luck, they were too invested in the questions.

They walked back together holding hands and joined Anne, Gilbert, Ruby and Moody as they awaited the list. Jerry asked, “What is happening?”

Diana explained, “These two lovebirds are finally officially courting, and everyone just found out they had been hiding their relationship all this time. So, Anne said they could ask any ten questions for them to answer and then we’ll all move on to other things.”

“What about you two? That was quite the kiss.” Gilbert asked.

“Can you keep a secret?” Diana tried to whisper, but nearly yelled, “I love Jerry!”

Each of them tried to respond but Diana cut them off before they could get a word out. 

“No, no, no! That’s not even the best part! Shhh shhh shhh, come here,” she said gathering them all closer together in a huddle. “He loves me too!”

Jerry looked at them awkwardly, “Ah yes, that is true, but I didn’t really expect the first time it was revealed to be in front of all you.”

Gilbert explained, “She’s had a lot to drink. And I think we all figured as much anyway. Sorry about that though. Here,” he said, handing him a bottle.

“I’m sorry, Jerry!” Diana apologized, “I’m just so excited to see you I couldn’t keep it in anymore. It seams the alcohol has revealed my truths.”

“We’re done!” Tillie yelled out, interrupting the couples and running over to give Anne the list.

“Time to reveal some more truths,” Anne said a little reluctantly, wondering if she would regret this question and answer session.

“Alright then, gather round the boat and we will answer your questions,” Anne announced dramatically. She sat down on the boat next to Gilbert, Diana at Gilbert’s feet and Jerry sitting closely next to her, Ruby and Moody leaning against the boat next to Anne.

Anne handed Gilbert the paper and he began, “Alright. Question one is ‘Why did you keep it a secret?’ All this attention right here is why we kept it a secret. Anne didn’t want any distractions from studying for the exam. I disagreed with keeping it a secret but reluctantly honored her request given her sound reasoning and the fact that I love her and would do anything to make her happy. Next question.”

Ruby and Tillie both said, “Awwwww.”

Anne took the paper from him and read, “Question two, ‘Why did you tell some of us but not others?’ Diana is my oldest friend and is so attune to my behavior that I couldn’t hide it from her.”

“They only made it two days before I was on to them. Do you all remember that spelling bee they gave each other? They so much as announced they’re relationship in front of us all, we just didn’t know what they were saying! To refresh your memory and provide a translation, Anne said arguing with Gilbert leaves her breathless and Gilbert said he gets goosebumps from arguing with her. They announced it to us all and were so arrogant to believe that no one would notice.”

Anne continued, “In our defense, you and Miss Stacy were the only ones who did. That’s not really arrogance, so much as a proper assessment of the situation and application of our intelligence.”

“Okay, well, **that** was a little arrogant,” Gilbert conceded.

“Anyways, Jerry is part of my family, so of course he found out.”

“I saw him kiss her in the field the morning after they got together,” Jerry announced, happy to be included in the group.

Anne continued, “Moody and Ruby, um, discovered our relationship on their own. Question three-” she said quickly trying to move on.

Moody chimed in, “We went over to Gilbert’s house under the impression that Anne was teaching Gilbert to bake biscuits.”

“Which I was!” she defended herself.

“And I can now make a damn fine biscuit to prove it,” Gilbert added.

Moody continued, “I had gone over there to ask Gilbert a question and Ruby had gone to Green Gables to talk to Anne, but Ms. Cuthbert said she was at Gilbert’s. Anyway, instead of seeing them eating biscuits, they were eating each other.” The group burst out laughing.

“No one made you stay and watch!” Anne criticized.

Ruby added “It was quite educational, really, which only makes sense, you two are always teaching us new things. For my part, I was unaware that tongues played such a vital role in kissing. Also, I didn’t ever think Anne would permit Gilbert to grab her waist that tightly.”

“Ruby-” Anne tried to stop her.

“I swear, the way he dug his fingers into her, he must’ve left marks!” she continued ruthlessly, “And I always thought it was Gilbert who was obsessed with Anne’s hair, but it seems Anne appreciates his just as much. **And** ,” she paused to take another drink, “he seemed to really enjoy when she had her fingers in his hair and pulled at it a bit.”

“Oh my god, Ruby! Stop!” Anne’s face had turned a brilliant shade of red, which was enhanced by the light of the bonfire. Gilbert just sat there laughing hysterically with the rest of the group.

“What? I’m serious! You should have seen them! It was a real eye-opener!”

When the laughter subsided a bit Gilbert said, “Question three, ‘How long has Gilbert liked Anne?’ Since I got back from Alberta and I met her. Question 3B. That’s cheating by the way, adding in a subsequent question, but I’m feeling generous so I’ll let it slide. ‘Is Anne the reason Gilbert came back to Avonlea?’ Well, it was a lot of things, I have property here, good neighbors, I knew I wanted to become a doctor and needed to finish school to do so, I wanted to give Bash the chance at a better life,” Diana elbowed his leg and he cleared his throat and continued, “But yeah, it was totally Anne. I came back for her.”

The girls all sighed dramatically and the guys tried to hide the fact that they agreed that they too thought it was very romantic.

“I don’t know why you bothered trying to hide it Gilbert,” Diana said sloppily. “Everyone saw how you greeted her when you saw her for the first time after getting back. Short hair and all, it was crystal clear that you thought she was the most beautiful and important thing in the world.” Diana took another drink. “No, that’s not right. You looked at her like she was the **only** important thing. You towered over her, but you still looked like you were bowing to her.”

“Wow Diana,” Anne said quietly. “That was-”

“Beautiful,” Gilbert finished.

“Just because I’m drunk doesn’t mean I forgot Gilbert’s ceaseless adoration of Anne over the years. Cole saw it. Did no one else notice? It was absolutely ridiculous.”

“I noticed,” most of the group called out.

“Question four, ‘What did Gilbert get for baking a better cake than Anne?’ I get to take her out on Monday as an official couple and she doesn’t know what we are doing and she has to trust me that she will have a good time.”

“That seems odd, out of all the things you could have requested?” Charlie asked. “And I don’t mean to imply anything indecent, I’m honestly just surprised.”

“Well, that’s a valid question. Gilbert thinks I have trust issues,” Anne explained.

“Which you do.”

“Which I do.”

Gilbert elaborated excitedly, “And I have so many things planned that I don’t think you’d be able to contain your excitement if you knew of all that is to come. So many things!” Gilbert had had plenty to drink as well. He continued, “Question five, ‘Do you ever disagree anymore?’ All the time. We often argue as well. Arguing never meant that we didn’t like each other. Not on my end anyway, we’re both passionate people and we have lots of opinions.”

“Don’t let him fool you, they’re like the same person now. He just likes to get her all worked up,” Diana added, “Gets him all hot and bothered.”

“Diana!” scolded Anne, “Stop drinking! Or at least stop talking!”

“Um, yeah, that’s true actually,” Gilbert added and laughed, as did nearly everyone else.

Anne moved on, “Question six, ‘Why did Anne hit Gilbert with her slate?’ Ruby had dibs on Gilbert and he kept bugging me.”

“Because he was already in love with you,” Diana said.

“And I didn’t want to lose the friends I had just made over some stupid boy who I was absolutely convinced was just making fun of me.”

“Which I wasn’t,” he clarified. “I was just trying to get her to talk to me.” 

“Question seven, ‘How many times have you kissed?’ Who keeps track of that? I have no idea,” Gilbert said.

“So, so many you can’t count?” Tillie asked.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” he answered.

“Question 7B. You guys are the worst. ‘Was that cut on Gilbert’s lip an injury from kissing?’ Yes. Bashed walked in on us and scared Anne and she bit me. Let it be noted that Anne is much stronger than she appears in every aspect imagineable.”

Anne read, “Question eight, ‘Are you engaged?’ No, no we are not yet engaged. We just announced our courtship like five hours ago. When would this engagement supposedly have happened?”

“You kept your relationship quiet for three whole months, is it so strange to think you would have been hiding more?” Jane asked.

Gilbert continued, “Question 8B. Cheaters! ‘Have you talked about getting married?’ Yes.” The group gasped loudly. “Why does that surprise you, is that not the intended goal of courtship?”

Anne said, “Question nine, ‘Do you have a favorite kiss and if so what was it?’” There was silence while they considered the question, smiling bashfully at each other.

“Well, that certainly makes things more interesting,” Diana cut through the silence.

“You first?” Gilbert asked.

“I would just like to be clear that I don’t have a favorite. Every kiss we share is spectacular. But there are two I can think of right now that left especially big impressions. That first weekend we were together we were walking through the orchard and Gilbert was annoyed that everyone kept calling him such a perfect gentleman and then he proved that that was in fact not necessarily true. And he proved it for a good long while.” The girls cheered and some of the guys whistled and Anne blushed. “The second one was just a couple days ago, in front of Mrs. Lynde of all people. It was such a simple kiss, I can’t figure out why it stood out, but something was different.”

“Well, you weren’t wrong, something **was** different but that’s another discussion for another day. For my part, Anne and I were studying at the beach a few weeks ago and we shared a kiss then that was…” he kicked the sand at his feet, “Well, it was pretty damn fantastic. Definitely memorable. Diana don’t say a word.”

Anne and Gilbert both glared down at her, her mouth open and ready to bring up more about their day at the beach.

Anne read the final question. “Question ten, ‘Did you really not kiss when you travelled together last week?’”

Gilbert smiled slyly and said, “If you recall, I never said we didn’t kiss. I said we didn’t do anything we haven’t done in the school and that holds true. I’m not a liar.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked.

“They kissed in the school, Ruby. Thoroughly and excessively,” Diana said, rolling her eyes, her speech still slurring. “Miss Stacy kept them after school to talk to them about tardiness and they stayed there. Kissing. For many minutes. In the entry where they met and on. Our. Desk.”

“Diana!” Anne scolded. “That’s too much information!”

“Oh, please, after all you just shared? Hardly.”

“Well, thankfully we won’t be in there again. Not sure I would be able to get that image out of my mind,” Jane said.

“Well that’s that. Can we move on now?” Anne asked hopefully. Blank stares greeted her.

“Oh, come on! I thought that was very generous of us! We didn’t have to share any of that with you what else could you possibly want?”

“Hell,” Tillie said, “We want to see you kiss.”

“What?!” Anne asked, “Why?”

“Educational purposes,” Ruby said.

“Based on your previous description I think you’ve been educated enough,” Anne accused.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? This could all be some elaborate ruse!” Tillie said.

“You know it isn’t. Gilbert can’t lie to save his life and why would we go through this all for a joke? It just wouldn’t be worth it,” Anne exclaimed.

“I agree with Tille,” Jane added, “We want to see you kiss.”

“That’s just wrong. We aren’t putting on some show for you. What we do privately is our business, no one else’s.”

“Except for me, Jerry, Cole, Moody, Ruby, Bash and Miss Stacy,” Diana pointed out proudly.

“You kissed in front of Miss Stacy?!” Charlie yelled.

“Um, yeah, that… that was an accident,” Gilbert said, still embarrassed.

“How was it an accident? Did you fall on her mouth?” Paul S. asked.

“Look, I just couldn’t help myself okay? She was wearing my clothes, and I forgot Miss Stacy was there-”

That really set the group off. Additional questions were erupting from everyone except Diana and Jerry, who both knew the story already.

“Long story short,” Gilbert yelled over them all, “Anne got stung by a bee, spilled honey all over herself and needed some clean clothes to wear. She looked adorable in my clothes and I couldn’t stop myself. Yes, I kissed Anne in front of Miss Stacy, received a thorough scolding from both Anne and Miss Stacy and embarrassed myself to my very core.”

“Would you say you were more embarrassed that day or at the beach?” Diana prodded.

“At the beach. Shut your mouth,” Gilbert warned, but simultaneously laughed, the liquor muting his concern of the beach story getting out.

“Tell more of that story right now,” Paul I. commanded.

“Absolutely not,” Gilbert laughed. “Look, our relationship has not been without mistakes, but we love each other, and we work through these things together. This whole relationship finally developed out of our willingness to be honest with each other and communicate openly about everything even if it seems silly. We spent so much time assuming we knew what the other was thinking and never bothered to ask. That's why we were always at odds with each other. Even with this commitment to be truthful, there have been numerous disagreements and misunderstandings and an absolutely astonishingly incomprehensible amount of extremely embarrassing and ridiculous moments, but it’s perfect because it’s ours.”

Anne smiled brightly at him and nodded.

“Can I ask just one question?” Diana asked. “It’s not beach related, I swear.”

“One question, for the best friend either of us could have asked for throughout this whole thing,” Gilbert granted.

“Anne finally figured out the other day that the first time she felt something more than friendship for you was when you were leaving and you met up in Charlottetown.”

“Yeah, I remember that, that was intense,” Jerry added.

“Your question?” Gilbert looked confused.

“I’m just wondering what you were thinking when you were staring at her before you left. I wasn’t there, but it has been described to me and it was no casual parting between friends. Jerry said he thought you were going to kiss her.”

“I wasn’t,” he laughed. “I wanted to, but I wasn’t going to. That would have been insane and I think she would’ve kicked me.”

“I wouldn’t have. I think I wanted you to kiss me,” Anne whispered, realizing it for the first time.

“Really, I was rethinking everything in those moments,” he said staring at her. “I was rethinking every single decision I was making, wondering if it was worth it. Wondering if I could be happy so far from her. Wondering how I could possibly be leaving when she was here. Wondering how I would survive without knowing she is nearby. Wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life.”

“But you didn’t,” she smiled and reassured him. “Everything worked out.”

He looked down at Diana who was looking back up at him with glossy eyes. “I was wondering if when I came back, I could be enough for her, if she could maybe someday be happy with me as more than a friend. Mostly I was realizing, for the very first time, that there was likely no one else out there for me; she was it.” He turned his attention back toward Anne, “I love you. It has always been and will always be you; my Anne-”

She interrupted him with a desperate kiss, tears falling from her eyes at his public proclamation of love and devotion. The group cheered, finally seeing what they wanted. This kiss was short, but full of passion. Gilbert pulled her tightly to him afterward and finished his sentence. She could feel his smiling lips on her ear as he whispered, “My Anne, with an ‘e.’”


	13. Headaches, Nausea and Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the celebration brings different experiences to each of the students who took the exams yesterday. Diana takes a stand, Gilbert writes a fairly decent love letter even when drunk, and Marilla passes the plum puff torch.

Saturday morning everyone who attended the bonfire woke up in various degrees of pain and clarity.

\---

Diana woke up positively ill and winced as she endured a thorough chastising from her parents for disobeying them and taking the test. She calmly listened to their criticism and condemnation for thirty minutes, sitting there politely with perfect posture, just as she was trained. When they finally stopped talking, she gathered her courage, suppressed her nausea, and spoke.

“Mother, father, I am so very sorry to hear what a failure you think I am, and that you think all your time and attention on me was for naught. Regardless, I assure you that I’m going to do what is best for me and I will not let the fact that you think I’m betraying you affect my happiness. I am a strong and intelligent person and I will not be relegated to the corner to watch my own life pass me by. I know that your legacy is what matters most to you, and I intend on living up to the Barry name, just not in the way you thought I would. If that isn’t enough for you, I am fully prepared to leave this family and you can try again with Minnie May. I have taken my future upon myself and made arrangements with Aunt Josephine. If… when I get into Queens, she will be covering my boarding at the Blackmore residence with my classmates and my tuition. I will pay her back in time if she permits me to do so. I’m sorry you feel that I’m disrespecting you and that I am not living up to your expectations, but I disagree. This right here,” he said standing and presenting herself to them, “This is who I am; who you raised me to be. I will stand up for myself. I will fight for myself. I will not be bullied into submission. I am not a decoration for some man to carry on his arm and I certainly was not made to serve him. I am worthy of being loved and adored, not simply put up with or used for my family name.

“If you truly consider me such a burden and embarrassment, I understand that you may want no further contact with me, but I dearly hope that isn’t the case. You are my parents. There was a time I thought you loved me unconditionally. There was a time you said you were proud of me for being the brightest girl in my class. There was a time you praised me for being able to help Minnie May with her homework when no one else was able to get her to understand math. I have many gifts, and they would be wasted by going to Paris, and I won’t do it. I will not waste the gifts that God has given me. I believe I was created this way for a reason. I’m not trying to upset you and I’m not doing any of this to make you mad. Your unhappiness with the situation is simply an incredibly unfortunate side effect of me doing what I know to be right. I’m doing all of this because it is simply the right thing to do.

“I will be spending the day with my friends so you can consider if you want to continue to be part of my life. I will return at supper. If my trunks are packed in the foyer, I will leave and stay elsewhere and not bother you again. If the foyer is empty, I will join you at dinner and we can start rebuilding our relationship, acknowledging our differences, yet respecting each other for who we are. If I am accepted back into this family, I don’t expect you to be happy right away, that will take time for all of us, but it gives us a starting point. Good day.”

She would never be able to explain how she made it through that speech feeling as ill and nervous as she did. Once the adrenaline from the moment passed, Diana walked calmly out of the house, then ran as fast as she could to the end of the drive, threw up and started crying. She walked into the forest, found a spot under a tree and cried for a long, long time, hoping that wasn’t the last time she saw her parents.

\---

Charlie woke up with a headache, but mostly he was embarrassed, not believing that he kept pursing Anne so blatantly in front of Gilbert, who he had always felt inferior to. Gilbert had been right; he should have backed off as soon as Anne said she wasn’t interested. Anne had been direct with her feelings toward him. Never cruel, but always clear. He simply refused to see it. Seeing how Gilbert and Anne interacted together as a couple was enlightening. He didn’t see love between his parents. He saw a transactional relationship. He saw love between Anne and Gilbert. He saw mutual adoration, affection and respect. That’s what he wanted someday. Anne was right, they would have been incredibly ill-matched. She was pretty, but that wasn’t enough to base a relationship on. Not the type of relationship he wanted anyway. There would be plenty of women at Queens. He would take the time to meet new friends there and find someone who he would actually be compatible with. He would not make the same mistakes again. He would do better. _The type of woman I want to marry deserves better; she deserves the very best. I will be my very best._

\---

Jane woke up like she always did. She felt fine. She rose, got ready for the day and went down to greet her family for breakfast.

“Gilbert and Anne are courting,” she announced casually.

“Yes, we know,” her mother responded. “We heard from Rachel Lynde yesterday. She was going door to door to deliver information regarding plans to rebuild the school and I assume she spread the news about the new couple as well. I dare say it’s about time those two come clean about what’s been going on between them.”

“They said they wanted to wait until after the exams so they wouldn’t have any distractions.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised. Those two always seem more concerned about their education than everyone and everything else, though I suppose it makes sense considering their station. That’s the only way they will be able to move up in the world, especially if they end up marrying.”

Billy looked as though he was fuming, but he kept his mouth shut.

“I expect they will marry. Apparently it’s already been discussed and after seeing them together I would consider it as much as settled. Billy, you’ll be surprised to hear that Gilbert wasn’t the only one with his eyes on Anne. She has become quite beautiful and well respected over the years even after all your attempts to tear her down. Charlie posted for her, did you know that? And the Pauls both think she’s pretty as well. They told me last night that they’ve always thought so, they’ve just never considered pursuing her because they found her intimidating. And well, because of Gilbert of course, who, let’s face it, has always been the most desired boy at school, even when he wasn’t there.” She glared at Billy, “Isn’t that funny? Even in absence he was more desired than you will ever be. Oh, and you should see how they are together. They look at each other like they are the only people who exist. It is so romantic, even I thought so and I don’t really go for that sort of thing. And guess what Billy? He isn’t an ass who forces himself on those he claims to care for. She comes to him willingly.”

“Jane!” Her father scolded.

“It’s true. Billy attacked Josie,” she said to her father before redirecting her anger back to Billy. “Josie told me last night what you did to her at the county fair and I will not apologize. I think what upsets me most is that I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised even a little bit. You have always been the very worst of humanity. I can’t wait to get away from you. You’re a monster.”

\---

Jerry woke up and took his time with his morning chores before he went to help at Green Gables. He didn’t need to be there until lunch. He wasn’t hung over, but he was an odd combination of elated and angry. He was so thrilled to have learned that Diana loved him, but he wished he could have told her he loved her himself, and not have her claim it for him.

On his way to Green Gables, he happened upon Diana crying in the woods. She explained everything that happened and apologized for telling everyone he loved her and not giving him the chance to say it in his own time. He sat there for a while listening and consoling and said that compared to all the missteps and embarrassing moments Anne and Gilbert had been though, this was nothing.

“At least what you said was true, Diana. And even if it wasn’t revealed how I planned, I’m so happy that my actions and behavior made that clear to you. Because I do love you, and I hope you were speaking the truth and that you love me too.

She nodded, “I do. I really do. And I know you’re going to want to kiss me now, but please don’t because I just threw up in the juniper bush.”

He laughed and kissed her forehead. “Come on, I need to get to Green Gables. And I think I need to get you to Anne.”

\---

Tillie woke, in pain and nauseated. The headache was from the alcohol and dehydration. The nausea was from the memory of telling both Pauls that their attention would be better spent elsewhere. She was flattered that they both were interested in her but after seeing how well Anne and Gilbert fit together, she had come to the conclusion that she couldn’t decide between the two because she knew she wouldn’t ever love either of them. It wasn’t fair to let them believe they had a chance when she knew nothing would ever come from it, especially when their efforts were becoming bolder and she felt she was dividing their friendship. She thanked them for their attention but explained that this was the right thing to do.

\---

Paul I. agreed that Tillie did the right thing by telling him there would be no chance with her, but it would be a while until he got over it. He worked out his disappointment by throwing himself into his work. He would be leaving the farm come fall and he owed it to his family to do as much as he could to help them out before he left. By the end of the day, he was feeling a bit better having blown off some steam. He really had like Tillie, but he appreciated that she was honest with him and didn’t want to lead him on. He committed himself to doing the best he could do help his family until he hopefully left for Queens and at that point he would start looking for someone who could reciprocate his feelings.

\---

Paul S. was relieved. Sure, Tillie was cute and came from a good family, but he didn’t see himself settling down any time soon, he wasn’t even sure that he wanted to marry at all. One day, shortly before the take notice board had been resurrected, the guys were all sitting around talking about girls. Everyone else seemed to be interested in someone. They decided to go around in a circle and say who had caught their eye. He was chosen to go first and feeling pressured to fit in, he chose Tillie on a whim and then it was like he couldn’t back out. He thought there was something wrong with him because he didn’t have romantic feelings for any of the girls in his class, he just wasn’t quite there yet. His false claim had escalated so quickly and then snowballed into a competition for her attention that he didn’t even want to be part of. Honestly, he was relieved it was over. If only he had said Jane instead, or been brave enough to admit he wasn’t interested in anyone, all of this would have been avoided.

\---

Josie woke up revitalized. Watching Gilbert and Anne together the night before had given her hope for the future. After being attacked by Billy, it was going to be a while until she trusted someone enough to let them close to her again, but apparently Anne had trust issues, and she was able to let Gilbert in. Given time, she could get there too, and now she had an example of what a respectful relationship looked like. They listened to each other, there was no pressure, and no expectation other than trust and open communication. She would find that at Queens. She was sure of it. _There has to be other Gilberts out there. I mean, not another **Gilbert** because, ew, no, but respectful, honest, loving men, _she thought. _There will be plenty of opportunity in the future to find someone who will love me and respect me and when I find it, I will be ready._

\---

Moody woke up with a smile on his face, remembering that he finally told Ruby that he loved her. Yes, even with Gilbert having already told her it still took a decent amount of alcohol for him to muster enough courage to say it, but he did it. And she had said she loved him too. They kissed for a while after leaving the party and spent much of the night looking up at the stars on the beach and talking about how excited they were to go to Queens together and what they hoped to study. He walked her home and kissed her goodbye on her porch, promising that he would see her again tomorrow and wondering if her parents would maybe permit him to go to tea with her sometime soon. She smiled and nodded enthusiastically, saying that she would ask and see what could be arranged.

\---

Ruby woke with a start. She had a headache, but she still felt great. Moody had told her he loved her!

“Mother!” she shouted as she ran out of her room in her night clothes. She couldn’t believe that she still had items in her possession embroidered with GB. Those hadn’t been appropriate for months. “I need to start over on the embroidered items in my trousseau right away! Not a moment to lose!”

\---

Anne woke up late, still dressed from the night before. Her memory was fuzzy, but she could tell that Gilbert had helped her to bed because there was a glass of water on her nightstand, along with a rose that he picked from the Lynde’s garden as they walked home and a note.

_Anne,_

_You are ~~everything~~ so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. Each and every day you bring more light and joy to my life. How do you do it? It is entirely unbelievable what an effect you’ve had on me these past years and even more so these last few months. You are the keeper of the key to my heart, Anne Shirley Cuthbert. I’m sorry, that sounded better in my head that it does upon seeing it written out. But it’s true, I can at least promise you that. Knowing we will soon be parted brings me so much sorrow but knowing that every passing day brings us closer to the day we will never have to part again- I can’t even begin to describe my elation, even if at best it is a couple years away. _

_I hope you slept well and that you are feeling okay this morning. Drink the water and eat the crackers I left for you. Based on my current state of inebriation, it was likely a bad idea to split that bottle of brandy, small though it was and I do not look forward to the pain I will feel tomorrow morning, or rather this morning, or whenever I wake. Did you know that we stayed out until four AGAIN? I’m going to write a letter to Marilla as well and offer my apologies. I am truly terrified for my life at this moment. I know she loves me, but a person’s patience and understanding has limitations, wouldn’t you think?_

_I guarantee that you were the feature of my dreams last night, so thank you for that. Nothing improper I assure you, usually it’s just you dancing in a field of flowers or climbing a tree and asking me to join you. The epitome of beauty and peace. Increasingly it’s you walking toward me in a gown of white silk and lace. That perhaps was too revealing, but we both know that I don’t care. I love you. So much. And I can’t wait for that dream to become a reality._

_I’ll be back this afternoon to help at Green Gables and then if Marilla permits you will all be joining us for dinner tonight._

_I’ve been sitting here trying to close this letter for a couple minutes now and there is no parting word or phrase that encapsulates my feelings for you. Could you perhaps come up with something?_

_Until we figure that out, I am very truly yours, today and every day, until the end of time,_

_Gilbert_

She smiled, held it to her heart and started crying. And then she read it nine more times to be sure she wasn’t imagining it.

\---

Gilbert got back to his house just before dawn. He was exhausted and elated. He looked down on the table where a letter awaited him from a Mrs. Huntington. He tore it open, read it and shouted out, “Yes!” Everything was falling into place for his day with Anne on Monday and he was starting to get excited. He wasn’t lying when he told Anne she probably wouldn’t be able to handle all he had planned, and this was the final piece that he had been waiting for. He walked through the house, into the living room where he was planning to sit on the couch and to read the letter again when he came upon an interesting sight.

Miss Stacy was sleeping on his couch holding Delphine, her legs stretched out behind Sebastian, who was sleeping on the floor, leaning back against the couch. They had clearly fallen asleep talking, but Gilbert wasn’t going to let the opportunity for teasing pass him by. He took Delphine out of Miss Stacy’s arms and kissed her forehead.

“Your daddy’s gonna get it little one,” he whispered to the sleeping baby. “Yes, my beautiful, beautiful girl your dear old dad is about to get his comeuppance.” He brought Delphine up to her bassinet and returned to the kitchen to make himself some tea. He poured himself a cup and went to sit in the chair that Sebastian had been sitting in that very first morning he found him and Anne together.

He cleared his throat loudly and yelled out crossly, “Sebastian Lacroix! Muriel Stacy!” They woke with a start, alarmed and embarrassed. Gilbert tried to stay stern, but he was still a little drunk and seeing the looks on their faces, he couldn’t pull it off. He started laughing hard at the situation. His eyes were watering with mirth as he asked, “What were you thinking?” through his laughter.

“Nothing happened Blythe.”

“Please don’t mention I fell asleep here to anyone, Gilbert. I’d surely be run out of town,” Miss Stacy said calmly.

“Relax, it was just too tempting to not take advantage of the opportunity to tease two after all the trouble Anne and I have gotten ourselves into. I put Delphine in her bassinet by the way. It’s only five, so I expect she will sleep for another hour before needing some milk.”

Sebastian smelled at the air and asked, “You drunk?”

“Um, yeah, a little.”

“You got Anne home?”

“Of course.”

“And you were respectful?”

“As respectful as she wanted me to be,” he said with a wink.

“You spent the entire night together? Again? You are pushing your luck boy.”

“We stayed at the ruins with the others until midnight. We spent the rest of the time in the orchard and the barn. We were fine.”

“You spent all night with Anne in the barn?”

“And the orchard. We walked, we danced, we talked and we gazed up at the stars. It was extremely romantic. Like a fairytale. Hey, do you guys want to know a secret?” He had lied. Apparently he was more than a little drunk.

“No,” Miss Stacy responded. “I don’t want to know anything that my drunk former student considers a secret.”

“Yes,” answered Sebastian. “Always.” He loved drunk Gilbert, and he hadn’t seen drunk Gilbert in a long, long time.

“I saw something a couple days ago I wasn’t supposed to,” he whispered loudly.

“Oh goodness,” Muriel said, “please don’t continue.” She rose from the couch and straightened her skirt.

“No, no, no, nothing like that. Even after everything we’ve done I still have some sense of decorum.”

“What have you done?” she looked worried.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll never guess what I saw at Mrs. Lynde’s house.”

“If we’re never going to guess, just tell us and then go to bed.”

“Anne’s wedding gown,” he said with a smirk.

Silence.

He smiled brightly at them and then got up and walked to the stairs, following Sabastian’s directions.

“Boy! Back here! Now!”

He peeked his head back through the door, still smiling, “Yes, Mr. LaCroix? You called?”

“You’re certain it was for her?” Miss Stacy asked, alarmed.

“Absolutely. Rachel tried to deny it,” he started laughing again, “But she had attached one of the school balls to the top of this Anne sized form to hold up a couple braids made of copper colored yarn. It wasn’t subtle. Even she couldn’t talk her way out of that. Also, I kissed Anne in front of Mrs. Lynde. That was a lot of fun.”

“Did you tell Anne about the dress?” Sebastian asked.

“Nope. And then I told you. Yeah, that was probably a mistake,” he grimaced. “I’ll figure something out.”

“I was under the impression that a wedding was a couple years off,” Miss Stacy said.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “That’s my understanding of the situation. And even that’s a best-case scenario. Depending on Anne’s opinion, it could be even longer. But who tells Rachel Lynde what to do?”

Muriel and Sebastian answered simultaneously, “Marilla Cuthbert.”

“No. This was all Rachel. And catching her at it was delightful,” Gilbert started giggling at the memory.

“How much did you drink?” Sebastian asked.

“Less than Diana.”

“Oh, that poor girl,” Miss Stacy sighed.

\---

Marilla came down to the kitchen and saw a note left for her on the table.

_Marilla-_

_Sorry for getting Anne back home so late last night (this morning). Please don’t hate me. I promise any and all behavior between Anne and I would have been Marilla-approved. We had a wonderful evening celebrating with our friends at the ruins. It was amazing to see how adored Anne is by each and every one of her classmates, especially after facing such adversity upon her arrival. As promised, we announced our courtship to our classmates yesterday and as a result much of our time together was spent answering questions regarding the matter. Most were not surprised at the news, but some were, which leads me to think that some of our classmates might not make it to Queens after all._

_After we left the ruins we walked through the orchard for quite a while and then talked in the barn about, well, everything. There was a fair bit of alcohol consumed by all at the ruins, though you probably already knew of that tradition. I made sure Anne kept eating and drinking water throughout the night to prevent any illness later this morning and I also left some water and crackers for her by her bed. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep still wearing her clothes from yesterday. I know you probably don’t approve, but I was enjoying listening to her so much that I couldn’t bring myself to end the night any earlier than I did._

_I refuse to believe it was an accident that she was brought to you and Matthew. Thinking it was anything other than divine intervention simply doesn’t make sense to me. I’m sure you would agree._

_I expect Anne will sleep late. I will be over after lunch to help Jerry and Matthew with anything that needs doing and if possible we’d like to have you all over for dinner this evening. Sorry for the short notice, but with preparation for the exams yesterday I forgot to mention it when I came by to get Anne._

_See you later._

_Love, Gilbert_

_P.S. Please bring plum puffs?_

Marilla chuckled at his expected request. “Anne!” she called out. It was nearly ten in the morning. Enough was enough.

Anne came down immediately, wide awake and dressed for the day.

“Sorry Marilla. I was up a while ago but I was reading and rereading the most romantic note that has ever been written in the history of the world composed by the love of my life.”

Marilla rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Gilbert mentioned to you that we are all invited over for dinner today.”

“He did. What are we to bring?”

“Well, the ‘love of your life’ requested plum puffs, as always. So, I think I know what we need to do.”

“We still have some left over!” Anne said brightly, “We can bring them with and warm them up during dinner. They’ll be perfect.”

“No. Anne, it’s time you learn how to make plum puffs.”

Anne looked terrified and started shaking her head vigorously, “Oh, Marilla, I couldn’t. You saw what I did to Mary’s cake! I wouldn’t dare attempt something as intricate as your plum puffs. Please don’t make me embarrass myself!”

“Do calm down Anne, everything will be fine. Let’s get started.”

\---

Diana arrived with Jerry and asked if she could just spend the day resting in Anne’s room. Anne listened to what had happened, hugged her friend tightly and left her to rest. Diana fell asleep moments after Anne left the room.

Anne woke her before dinner and Diana walked slowly back to face her doom, preparing herself for the worst. She entered the foyer and not only did she not find her trunks packed, but the foyer had been stripped bare of all adornment, even the paintings had been removed from the walls.

She collapsed onto the ground in relief and her mother came running at the sound.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” she said, weeping.

“Yes, we did,” Eliza said. “There was to be no chance of miscommunication, you are far too important to us. You are our daughter, and will remain so, forever. We are proud of you and look forward to learning more about the woman you’ve become.”

\---

Anne didn’t mess up the plum puffs, they were delicious as ever and she couldn’t wait to share them. As promised, Gilbert came over to the farm after lunch and she was able to catch glimpses of him through the window as she did her chores. But she wasn’t able to actually talk to him until they all went over that evening.

Anne hopped off the carriage, plum puff in hand and ran into the house without knocking.

“Where’s Gilbert?” she asked urgently and Sebastian directed her upstairs. She ran up and burst through his door without knocking. He was sitting, reading at his desk.

She rushed across the room holding the plum puff out for him to take a bite.

“Eat this! Eat this right now!” she commanded him.

“Hi Anne,” he laughed. “How are you doing tonight? Good? That’s wonderful to hear. I am also doing pretty well.”

She hopped up and sat on his desk. “Shut your mouth and eat the damn plum puff,” she said lowly.

“This isn’t even a whole puff.”

“I didn’t want to spoil your dinner! Eat the puff!”

Gilbert took a bite of the puff and the filling oozed out onto Anne’s finger.

“This is phenomenal,” he said with his mouth full. “As always. What’s with all the excitement?”

“I made them. Marilla shared her recipe with me, and **I made them**. Under her careful watch, of course. But I didn’t screw them up! Aren’t they great?”

She ate the remaining bite herself and he could see her eyes roll back in her head in bliss.

He stood and situated himself between her legs hanging off his desk. “You’re a tease, Cuthbert. You dare come into my room with half a plum puff, begging me to eat it and then don’t even let me have the whole half?”

“Cool it, Blythe, I brought you three dozen,” she said, rolling her eyes. “This was just a little something to whet your appetite.”

“Yeah, that’s probably not going to be enough,” he joked. He maintained eye contact with her as he suddenly grabbed her wrist, brought her hand to his mouth and slowly sucked the remaining filling off of her finger. Her jaw dropped in response and his mouth was on hers moments later.

A few minutes passed before they heard Sebastian call out, “Gilbert! Anne! Let’s eat!” from downstairs. “Please wake Delphine and bring her down with you!”

They tore themselves from each other and rested their foreheads together.

“Did you have any idea how attractive that would be?” she asked him breathlessly. “I could feel that in my toes.”

He laughed softly, “No, I didn’t, I’m just always looking for an excuse to touch you and I thought I’d find it enjoyable. It was completely selfish.”

“Well, I hope I always find your selfish behavior that exhilarating.”

He laughed and said, “And I will do my best to make sure that you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the errors. I will come back later and edit. I'm really excited to get to what happens on their date on Monday, so I'm kind of moving along as fast as I can, which leads to mistakes. If you couldn't tell, I don't care for that "keeper of the key to my heart" bit, so it got a bit roasted here. 
> 
> I don't expect much to happen on Sunday so the next chapter should start to get into their big date day! Aren't you excited to see what happens? I know I am... I only have about half the day worked out, so things could get interesting. I hope you liked this chapter!


	14. Sewn into Silk and Lace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert talk a lot. SO much. Anne discovers what Rachel's been creating.

Sunday morning, Gilbert and Anne attended church together as they always did. There was additional attention on them of course, but they behaved exactly as they had before. They had never intended on flaunting their relationship once it was made public, and even if they had, worship wasn’t the place to do it. The only bit that changed was that they required a chaperone on their walk home. They requested Diana’s company and she walked with them for a while to share the good news about attending Queens and her excitement over not being exiled from her family. As had become a routine occurrence of Diana’s Sundays, unbeknownst to all but these three, Jerry was waiting for Diana about a quarter mile into the woods and then each couple happily found themselves without a chaperone. Anne and Gilbert continued their walk in comfortable silence for a while, holding hands and enjoying the warm day.

“I’m very impressed that you haven’t asked any questions about tomorrow,” Gilbert said after a while, as calmly as he could. He had been a bit on edge all morning, not because of the revelation of their relationship, but because he was starting to worry about Anne’s reaction to his plans tomorrow.

“I promised you I wouldn’t. I’m nothing if not true to my word.”

“I’m still impressed though,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “Especially after I teased you at the ruins about how exciting it would be.”

Anne looked at him quizzically, trying to read an expression she hadn’t seen on him since before they got together, “Are… are you nervous about something?”

“Yes,” he answered honestly.

She stopped suddenly, their intertwined hands jerking him to a halt. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, per se,” he answered. “I just don’t want it to be too much.”

“How on earth could it be too much? I hadn’t really considered anything about the day, but the way you spoke about it with such excitement at the ruins, now I’m kind of expecting quite a lot.”

“It’ll be plenty… I promise,” he said hesitantly.

“Gil, you’re worrying me. Tell me what’s going on. Not about tomorrow’s events, but why you are acting like this.”

He took a deep breath. “Alright, so I had all these ideas on how to make the day special for you, so I started planning for them all. They all require calling upon others, hoping that the stars align and that our schedules line up, and writing letters of course. I’ve written so many letters, Anne, you wouldn’t believe it. And some of the planning was from before this whole cake competition even took place, I just knew I wanted to share certain things with you so as soon as we became an us, I started writing to arrange these things. And I figured if I planned for them all, maybe I’d get lucky and I could pull it off that just one of these things could actually happen tomorrow.”

“Sound logic from Mr. Pragmatic.”

He laughed on a sigh, “What Mr. Pragmatic failed to account for was the possibility of everything lining up and happening on the same day.” He looked at her apologetically.

“Splendid!” Anne said excitedly.

“Anne,” he said cautiously. “It’s going to be a lot. Like, a lot a lot. I just want to give you a warning to be prepared.”

“And you think I can’t handle it?”

“I think you can handle anything, but you feel everything so deeply and I don’t want you to get overwhelmed on a day when I want you to just be happy.”

She rolled her eyes, “I think I’ll be fine, Gilbert.”

“Just, please, as the day goes on, tell me if you want to stop. I can probably rearrange some things if it becomes too much, and I thought about cancelling parts of it, or at least putting them off, but for some of the things it could be months before the opportunity presents itself again and I won’t be here then and, ugh, it’s so hard to say this without giving it all away, I just… there’s just things I want to do with you, things I want to see with you, things I want to see you see for the first time and if we don’t take this opportunity, I don’t know when the time will come that everything will line up so perfectly again. Or in some cases, you’ll experience them without me there and I really want to be there with you. And yes, it will be a lot, but I promise, you’ll love it and if it ends up being that physically or emotionally draining, you can just sleep all of Tuesday. Right? Maybe Wednesday as well, and I could take care of your chores, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that…”

“Enough!” Anne said exasperatedly. She grabbed him by the tie and pulled him down and kissed him roughly. “Stop. Talking.”

He stood up, took a deep breath and his hand went to the back of his neck, like it always did when he was anxious or embarrassed.

“Sorry,” he said softly.

“Gilbert. I love you, but you are being an idiot. You have obviously gone to extraordinary lengths to arrange an amazing day for us to share together and I am already so grateful for it. We could sit on a hill watching the clouds in the sky all day or we could sail to England, it doesn’t matter. The fact that you care so much for me to get this worked up about my reception of the day speaks volumes of your love for me and I can’t wait to see anything and everything you have planned, whether that be tomorrow or twenty years from now. If you truly are concerned, why don’t you give me a little preview of the day. In the vaguest terms. I will be able to prepare myself adequately from that information.”

He sighed and whispered in frustration, “No you won’t.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind, you’re right, it’s worth a shot. This will be a good starting point at least. Okay, so we are meeting tomorrow morning to get our exam scores at Miss Stacy’s, but you knew that already. We will take the ten o’clock train into Charlottetown. We will first stop by Dr. Ward’s clinic and then head off for lunch and tea. Afterward… um… ahh, afterward, we will head down to the docks.”

“To the docks...” she repeated, trying to hide her confusion and let’s be honest, her disappointment. She had spent time at the docks before, when the Cuthbert’s had rejected her, it wasn’t her favorite memory.

“Yes, the docks,” he said, smiling. “Then we will head back into town to… explore somewhere new and make a new friend. Yes, that works. After that, dinner. After dinner, we will be… ah hah! We will be scaling uncharted territory.”

“In Charlottetown?”

“Well, uncharted to us, anyway,” he clarified. He took a deep, yet shaky breath. “You’re right. I feel much better.”

“Then why are you still nervous?”

He sighed, “Because I’ve been keeping a secret from you and it’s killing me, which is stupid because it’s not even my secret. It’s just something I happened to see at Mrs. Lynde’s. And I was doing fine with it, but it slipped out when I was talking to Bash and Miss Stacy when I was drunk so now I feel bad that you don’t know.”

“Are you going to tell me what it is?”

“No?” he thought about it and shook his head, “I’m not sure how you’ll take it and I’d rather you get mad at her than at me.”

“Well, then let’s go,” she said, and she turned back towards Rachel’s house.

Gilbert followed silently, not at all sure how this was going to go. He figured it was likely she would be irate that Rachel thought it was appropriate to start on her dress already. There was a chance she would hate the dress, having not been consulted about its design. There was a chance she would be upset that it was Rachel making it, and not Marilla. There was a chance Anne thought she would be wearing the dress intended for Marilla to wear and would want to honor the tradition of the family.

There was a chance he was going to go insane worrying about all her possible reactions to a wedding gown that he honestly had nothing to do with and just happened upon accidentally. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. _I’m not perfect, but this is not my fault,_ he reassured himself.

Anne marched up the stairs to the porch and Gilbert trailed meekly behind.

“Mrs. Lynde!” Anne yelled as she burst through the door.

“Anne! Goodness gracious, what is going on? Gilbert. Hello.”

“Hello Mrs. Lynde,” Gilbert greeted somberly. “Did you take my advice?”

“I… I’m afraid not,” she admitted.

“What advice?” Anne asked.

“I told her to hide what she was creating or become a better liar.”

“Mrs. Lynde, do you care to tell me what has Gilbert attempting to keep a secret from me?”

“Take a walk back to her sewing room. You won’t miss it,” he said quietly.

“Anne, dear, I’m not pressuring you. Either of you. I just want it to be perfect when the time comes. I don’t want to be rushed in its creation. Marilla doesn’t feel capable to create something so delicate with her eyesight being what it is and I wanted to help her with this. And I want it to be perfect for you, Anne. After everything you’ve been through and after everything you’ve done for the Cuthberts, and for me too, and this entire town. This was the least I could do to show some attempt at gratitude for how you’ve affected all of us over these past years.”

“What are you talking about?” Anne asked.

“Take a walk, Anne,” Gilbert urged nodding toward the back of the house. Anne headed back to the sewing room while Rachel and Gilbert followed silently behind.

She stopped at the door. He was right, she couldn’t miss it. The sun was streaming through the window and the gown was glowing. White silk and lace, just as Gilbert mentioned he dreamt about. Anne had only seen one other white wedding gown in her life, and even that was more cream than white. She had thought Prissy looked absolutely regal on her wedding day. Sure, the wedding itself had been hot garbage, but Prissy had looked wonderful and at least she was freed from that awful man when all was said and done.

After seeing Prissy in her dress, Anne had accidentally started dreaming of her own wedding day; hoping to someday be as beautiful as Prissy was, hoping someday to wear a gown as elegant and proper. Then she had caught Gilbert’s eye and the dream had somehow simultaneously ended and amplified. She was instantly brought back to the reality of her awkward short hair and the teasing of others reminding her of her impending spinsterhood. But those eyes. Those warm and inviting eyes that she swore could see clear through to her soul fueled her dream and plunged her toward the possibility of more. Ignoring the entire room, he was looking at her like she was the most important person there, and for just a moment, she felt she was.

Anne walked into the room and slowly started circling the gown. This was by far the most elegant gown she had ever seen. It was bright white; as pure as freshly fallen snow. The silk fell in three cascading layers to the floor, the bottom of each layer adorned with flowers and leaves of lace. The bodice was similar, the silk underlaying a layer of lace, but where Prissy’s gown was incredibly modest, hiding Prissy under layers of fabric and wrapping her up to her chin, this gown was far less traditional. The neckline scooped down slightly and revealed a few inches of the wearer’s chest. Nothing obscene, but definitely daring. True sleeves were neglected altogether; simple, delicate sheaths of lace taking up their role. Yes, Anne had dreamt of being as elegant and proper as Prissy Andrews. This dress was worlds more elegant, but nowhere near proper, and she loved every bit of it. It was perfect. This dress was her soul, sewn into silk and lace.

After minutes of uncomfortable silence from Rachel and Gilbert’s perspective, Rachel interrupted Anne’s thoughts and explained, “I figured an unconventional dress for an unconventional bride. You’ve always stood apart from the crowd in the very best ways, why should you start blending in on one of the happiest days of your life? You were pushed aside, trampled on and hidden for far too long. On your wedding day, you will shine like the jewel that you have always been.”

Anne didn’t respond.

“It’s not yet complete. If… if you don’t like it, it can still be altered, of course. That’s the whole intent. Plenty of time to get it just right. Anything you want it to be, it can be. Just name it and it’ll be so,” she said, slightly panicking at the lack of response.

Anne still didn’t say a word, she just kept walking around the dress, noticing new details with every glance. The neckline wasn’t square like she had originally thought, but almost trapezoidal, widening slightly as it descended. The bodice had originally looked too delicate to permit a corset beneath which would have been positively indecent, but she saw now the strength and rigidity of the garment. _Delicate in appearance with unexpected strength. Just like me._

This gown was a work of art. Part of her wanted to say that the gown was too much and that she didn’t deserve such a nice garment. But Rachel had done this of her own volition, she wouldn’t spend what she couldn’t afford. She rounded the dress a final time, standing proudly in front of it. _I wore rags for the first thirteen years of my life. If anyone deserves this dress, it’s me._

She looked suddenly at Rachel and casually asked, “Can you adorn Marilla’s veil to match?”

“Yes, yes, of course, that was my intention.”

“Current trends dictate that the hair of a bride be worn up, yes?”

“Yes, it is customary for a mature woman to wear her hair up, each and every day.”

“I intend to wear my hair down. Curled. Half pulled back and we can pin the veil there.”

“Anything you want,” Rachel conceded.

“What I want is to continue my walk with Gilbert Blythe,” she said. Anne took one final look, took a deep breath and walked out of the room. As she passed Rachel she nodded and said, “Carry on.”

Rachel and Gilbert stood there in stunned silence after Anne had left. Neither of them saw that coming.

“Does that mean she liked it?” Rachel asked. “And she wasn’t upset, right?”

“If she were upset, we would know about it.”

“Gilbert!” Anne yelled out, “Let’s go.”

He hastily hugged Rachel, thanked her, and ran after Anne.

\---

They walked in silence, Gilbert waiting for Anne to process whatever she was thinking and feeling before asking questions. They were nearly to Green Gables before Anne broke the silence.

“So, I assume that’s why that kiss in front of Mrs. Lynde was so different? You saw the dress and thought, what, exactly?”

“At first it terrified me. I thought if you found out about it you would be scared off. After that first night we spent together you were so adamant that you were not at all ready to get married, and I know we talk about it happening sometime in the future, but this is concrete evidence of that eventuality and it makes it all the more tangible. Even if it’s years away. I didn’t want you to feel like I was pushing you into something you aren’t ready for. But then, I stopped being an idiot.”

“Did you though?” she interrupted, smiling.

“Shut it, Cuthbert. I stopped being and idiot and remembered that I had nothing to do with Rachel creating a wedding gown for you. That was all on her. Anne, I wish you could have seen her when I asked her about it. I have never seen her so uncomfortable in my life, it was amazing. She tried to say it could be for anyone of the young ladies in town, but the braids kind of gave it away. Though even without the braids, that dress was clearly made for you and only you.

“As far as what I was thinking when I kissed you? Honestly, part of me just enjoyed scandalizing Rachel just a bit, but mostly,” he pause for a moment, furrowing his brow and trying to organize his thoughts, “I don’t really know how to say this, but it’s like seeing the dress told me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I know I don’t talk about it much, but I still get so worried about the orchard and leaving Bash. And going to Toronto. And I’m terrified every day that I won’t even get in. I worry about Matthew and Marilla and not being here to help them and Jerry. I worry about being away from you and drowning in schoolwork and not having you there to yell at me when I’m being an idiot. But I looked at that dress, and after the initial shock passed and I remembered I didn’t do anything wrong, I felt peace. It was like everything in the universe stilled and I wasn’t worried about anything anymore. It all just disappeared. For a moment there was nothing else, just you, and I felt amazing. That’s what that kiss was; happiness.”

She sighed in frustration and said quietly, “You make it very hard to make rational decisions, Gilbert Blythe.”

He smirked, “Do I? How so?”

“What do you mean ‘how so’?” she yelled. “I know a man who looks at me like I’m his entire world. He respects me for who I am, pushes me to be better, holds me accountable when I am wrong, and defends me when I’m attacked, though he never speaks for me or tries to restrain me. He loves me unconditionally and did so for years without hope of reciprocation. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, the most intelligent person I know, and exceedingly kind to everyone he meets. He’s already part of my family and my very best friend. When he looks at me, all I want is for his lips to be on mine and for him to be in my arms. He tells me I’m beautiful every day. He makes me feel wanted and adored every minute of every single day. This man tells me he wants to marry me, every damn day and has proclaimed as much since confessing his love for me. And now I have a wedding gown! Me! The homely orphan trash doomed for spinsterhood has a wedding gown. And not just that, no, it’s the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen, just waiting for me to be ready to use it and I want it. I want that day to come so much. I want **you** so much. Right now. But I can’t do anything about it!”

“Oh,” he feigned surprise, “I’m sorry, you were talking about me?”

Anne clenched her fists and screamed in frustration. “You are so annoying sometimes!”

“Come here,” he said calmly. He enveloped her in his arms and she collapsed in on him, her head coming to rest on his chest. She wasn’t crying really, but emotion of some sort was leaking out of her eyes. He held her tightly and said, “Oh, my love, you’re so annoying sometimes too.”

She laughed into him and took a deep breath. “Tell me what to do, Gilbert.”

He put his hands on her arms, held her away from him and looked her in the eyes, “Pardon, what?”

“Tell me what to do. You said at best we can marry in a couple years, is that really true?”

“I’m going to pretend that the world didn’t just start spinning the other direction and that you didn’t actually tell me to tell you what to do, because I honestly don’t know what to make of that, but yeah. I’ve been thinking about it and the way I see it is that you could join me in Toronto after you graduate. That’s where I got two years from. Theoretically we could marry whenever, even if we didn’t live together, but it would be highly unusual and it would probably look… suspicious. Not that the opinions of others should have much weight here, but it is a consideration.”

She stepped back from him, took his hand and continued walking, “Clarify something for me then, just for good measure. The only thing preventing us from marrying now is the fact that I have two years of school to complete.”

“No. That’s simply the most logical solution to wanting to marry and wanting to complete your education. The timing just makes sense there. What **prevents** us from marrying is common sense and the fact that you are only sixteen.”

“So now my age is suddenly an issue for you?” she asked as they arrived at the front porch and sat down together on the step.

“That’s not what I said. Need I remind you that you brought that up yourself the morning after we got together. I have never had a problem with it, you know that. **You** said you were sixteen and not ready for marriage.”

She scoffed, “I did not.”

“You absolutely did,” he laughed, “Right before you stabbed me in the heart and said you didn’t even want people to know about our relationship.”

She rolled her eyes, “Not once have I actually stabbed you in the heart.”

“Literally no, but figuratively? Repeatedly, though never intentionally, I’ll give you that. I remember the exact conversation. **Vividly**. It’s unfortunately burned into my memory. You said, ‘I am 16 years old! I assure you I am not nearly ready for marriage. I’m fairly certain that I do not even want people to know about this… whatever this is!’”

“Well I didn’t! And I wasn’t! But things change!” she yelled.

Gilbert looked at her and his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “What? What are you saying exactly?”

“Unfortunately, nothing that makes any difference,” she said, looking away from him, clearly disappointed.

“Anne, what you just said makes all the difference in the world.”

“How could it possibly? It doesn’t change a thing!”

“It changes everything, Carrots,” he said, and he gathered both her braids in his right hand and pulled her in for a kiss that rivaled the one they shared in front of Mrs. Lynde.

Anne accidentally let out a soft moan and she felt his smile on her lips.

“So do you think if that’s how I would have pulled your hair that first time we could have avoided the slate incident?”

“Yes, I assume we would have avoided the slate incident,” she agreed, much to his surprise, “Because I would have killed you.”

He laughed, “It scares me that I think you’re telling the truth.”

“Well, it scares me that I can love you so much more than I hated that stupid boy who pulled my hair, because I hated him so, so much.”

“Well, that stupid boy just didn’t know what was happening to him,” he said, kicking the dirt and leaning back on his hands. “Give him a break. It’s not his fault he didn’t realize he had fallen in love with you; he was just confused. He should hate you for showing up and messing everything up.”

Anne barked with laughter, “Is that so?”

“Absolutely,” he said smugly.

There was a brief silence.

“I need to get back so I can get everything done before tomorrow."

“I understand,” she said sadly. She stood and Gilbert pulled her back down onto his lap and kissed her like it was going to be far more than 18 hours until they saw each other again.

When he pulled back minutes later, she whispered, “Wow,” and took a moment to catch her breath before saying, “That was extremely inappropriate, but incredibly effective.”

“No one is here Anne. Matthew and Marilla are having lunch with the Barry’s. Did you forget?”

Her eyes went wide. “I didn't know that!”

He laughed, “They said it right to your face after church.”

“When?!”

“When you were looking at me like you were starving!” he blushed.

“Well that explains it, what are we doing out here then?” she stood and pulled him in to the house.

“Anne, I really need to get back,” he protested weakly.

“Five minutes.”

“Bash is going to kill me.”

“Ten minutes.”

“And the teasing, it’s going to be relentless.”

She pulled him through the kitchen to the living room and pushed him down into the couch.

“I’ll make it worth your time, I promise,” she laughed as she sat down in his lap.

“Fifteen minutes,” he conceded as he looked at her biting her lip, “And then I really need to go.”

She kissed him gently and then softly said, “Twenty. I think it’s cute that you think you have any power here, Gilbert,” her lips ghosting over his with every word.

“Oh, Anne,” he said playfully before smoothly reclining her back onto the couch and laying himself down next to her. “I think it’s cute that you think I don’t know exactly how to get what I want from you.”

“More selfish behavior then?”

“No. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to enjoy this, but this? This is for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that happened. Another result of not knowing how to end a chapter and then "Oh I know, Anne will explode about something and then they kiss." Predictable? Yeah, probably, but that's never going to stop me.
> 
> I was actually intending on getting into the date here, but then more happened on Sunday, as it tends to do, me being a writer without a plan an all.
> 
> Next... THE BIG DATE. I'm so excited and I hope you all like it. Gilbert gave you a warning- it's going to be a lot. Not sure if that means one giant chapter or two smaller ones, we shall see.


	15. The Date: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert and Anne get their exam results and head off to Charlottetown for their date.

Anne was already wide awake as the sun started to creep over the horizon. After Gilbert left the previous day her mind was entirely occupied by the events of the morning and the arrival of dusk that evening did nothing to calm it. Her body had been exhausted after working at her chores all day. In fact, she had done far more than her normal duties entailed, hoping that the fatigue would spread to her mind. Anne was always grateful for her intelligence and her imagination, but sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be more simple-minded, would her mind be granted more peace to avoid these sleepless nights? Would she still spend days seemingly ignoring everyone around her just because her mind was so occupied? Even in the stillest of moments, she was always observing, hypothesizing and dreaming. This gift got her through her time at the orphanage and helped her endure the various families she was let out to. Her ability to transport herself to faraway lands had saved her from her misery and protected her through her torment, but sometimes she wished she could just make her mind stop. Just for a bit.

The problem now, since that blasted dance rehearsal, is that each and every day her reality was further surpassing her dreams and she simply couldn’t come to terms with how she could have gotten so lucky, or somehow not dreamed big enough. She had been aware of this phenomenon throughout their relationship, and had confessed as much to Gilbert, but after seeing the gown and understanding that there was a possibility to marry him in two years she was utterly flummoxed at how her destiny had changed so drastically in such a short period of time. Indeed, she was no princess, but she may as well be for all the love and devotion being granted to her. She had friends who loved her, guardians who adored her and an entire village who respected and looked out for her wellbeing, mostly, anyway. She had Gilbert. And somehow, she was even able to attract the attention of multiple boys, though one would have been enough, more than, really. And he was. She was telling the truth the other day: he was so much more than enough. He wasn’t the prince she had dreamed of, though come to think of it, they did share many traits. And he did offer to slay dragons for her, did he not? No one she had ever imagined came close to Gilbert. And Gilbert was real. It just didn’t make any sense. Every time he looked at her she felt his love for her. Every time he touched her, she felt respected and revered. Every time they kissed, it seemed he couldn’t get enough and, quite frankly, neither could she. When she had sat down on his lap yesterday, she had felt the ever-present ring in his pocket, the shape faintly making itself known on the back of her thigh. She absolutely had Gilbert.

She smiled at the thought and rose from her bed. She called for Marilla’s help with her corset, having attained permission to wear it the previous day, and made sure that Marilla only saw her back as she assisted her. She wasn’t in need of another lecture about her behavior. She then dressed in the skirt and blouse gifted to her by Aunt Josephine, diligently verifying that the blouse did indeed cover the additional marks Gilbert had left on her neck. Thankfully, he selected the location of his affections more carefully this time. She shivered at the memory and she swore she could still feel his thumbs grazing over her ribs and his fingers curling into her back.

 _Focus, Anne,_ she told herself as she brushed out her hair and attempted to pin it into place. After struggling with it for fifteen minutes she accepted that it was as good as it was going to get. It wasn’t pulled back tight as it likely should have been, but it suited her and she liked the way some of it fell around her face. She considered adding the jacket and hat to complete the ensemble, but the day was warm already and she wanted to be comfortable because apparently it was going to be a lot to deal with. She rolled her eyes. _Who does he think he is? I’m the bride of… well, Gilbert Blythe, apparently._ She allowed herself an exhilarated giggle before continuing her thought. _But I’m also the bride of adventure, dammit. I think I can handle a trip about Charlottetown._ She walked confidently out of the room, made it to the stairs and ran back to retrieve the hat, remembering that the day included a trip to have tea and according to Diana, ladies wear hats when they go to tea. Anne wasn’t sure how long she could play this role of ‘lady.’ It didn’t seem to quite fit.

Marilla paused upon Anne’s descent from the stairs, not believing the angelic form in front of her was that same girl who had run out of the house in nothing but her undergarments only three years ago. “I’m reluctant to say this for fear it will only fuel your vanity, but you are a true beauty, dear heart.”

“Dearest Marilla, you are too kind. I did my best, but this hair business will take some practicing. Good morning, Matthew.”

“Morning, Anne,” he smiled knowingly at her.

Marilla responded, “Your hair is perfectly acceptable, and your skill will improve in no time. I’m sure you will catch on to that just like you catch on to everything else.” They all sat down to eat, “You seem happier today, not so lost in your head.”

“Um, yes, I apologize for my lack of participation in conversation yesterday,” she said honestly before saying very quickly, “Did you two know Rachel was making me a wedding gown?”

Matthew hid behind his paper. Neither of them noticed his laughter.

“What?” Marilla sounded surprised, “I knew she bought material ‘just in case,’ but no, I didn’t realize anything had come of it yet.”

“Something has definitely come of it, and it is spectacular Marilla,” she said dreamily. “It is by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Goodness, and I didn’t even say thank you!” she said reluctantly. “I was so surprised I couldn’t even get out of my own mind to thank her. And then I just stayed in my head the rest of the day, and most of the night. I didn’t get much sleep in the end.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Everything! I discovered I had a wedding gown and that I could be married in just a couple years, instead of the six I was anticipating. And then the fact that I would be marrying Gilbert, oh Marilla, it still gives me butterflies in my stomach.”

Marilla laughed softly. “I seem to remember a girl who said Gilbert’s sole purpose in life was to humiliate you.”

Matthew laughed loudly at that.

So did Anne, “Well, it seems I miscalculated his intentions. You know, you two could have said something. You saw it all happen, a little warning or guidance would have been nice.”

“What, with all our experience with such matters?” Matthew asked.

“You both are well aware that his thoughts about me were apparently plain as day. Sebastian said he thought Gilbert may as well have been walking around wearing a sandwich board. ‘I love Anne Shirley-Cuthbert’ written on the front and ‘Seriously, stay away from her, she’s mine’ written on the back.”

“That Sebastian is a funny guy,” Matthew laughed. “Though I don’t think it was always that obvious.”

“Thank you, Matthew. Maybe I wasn’t so oblivious then.”

“Just most the time,” he added, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes, “I just could have used a bit of guidance, that’s all. I never thought this was a possibility for me so a little something might’ve been helpful. Like ‘Anne, it’s possible he’s always staring at you because he likes you, not because he thinks you’re odd or is trying to annoy you to death,’ or ‘Anne, he looks at you with such adoration and affection, it couldn’t hurt to forgive him and make an attempt to be his friend,’ or even, ‘Hey! Anne! Wake-up! This whole town knows he’s in love with you, get on with it already!’”

Marilla smiled, “You two figured everything out just fine all on your own without our or anyone else’s meddling. And you present those ideas as though you would have listened to us. You know very well your mind would not be changed until it was good and ready, and only Gilbert was able to do that, and only when the time was right.”

“You’re right, I know that. I just wish we had more time.”

“Two years will fly by, and you won’t be without him. Not really. Parts of him will always be will you. It will be different for sure, but you’ll be fine,” Matthew reassured her.

“I appreciate that, Matthew. Is it really only quarter of eight?” she asked, glancing at the clock.

“Yes, dear.”

“Excellent,” she smiled. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go see if Diana is ready. She has got to see my dress. Care to come along Marilla?”

Marilla nodded excitedly and took off her apron. Anne grabbed her hand, they bid Matthew farewell and they headed toward the Barry’s, leaving all the dishes on the table.

\---

Rachel was washing dishes when she heard the incessant knocking which she had come to learn could only be Anne. She sighed and dried her hands on her apron as she walked to the door.

“Yes, Anne?” she said as she opened it, finding three women standing side by side with bright smiles on their faces. “Marilla! Diana! Good morning! What brings you all here?”

Diana whispered, “We’re here to see the dress!”

Rachel smiled playfully, “In you come now! Don’t dally!”

Anne led the way back to where her dress was and upon seeing it again whispered, “I didn’t imagine it. It **is** perfect.”

Marilla and Diana both gasped, agreeing with Anne wholeheartedly, though Marilla would need to have words with Rachel about that daring neckline later.

“Oh Mrs. Lynde,” Diana sighed. “It’s spectacular.”

“And it’s mine,” Anne added softly.

“It is surely a work of art,” Marilla added.

“And it’s not even complete yet,” Rachel made sure clarify, though she was certainly proud of what she had already accomplished.

“And it’s for me!” Anne yelled, and found herself bouncing with excitement and went over to hug Rachel tightly and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything yesterday, but it is perfect. I love it so much, thank you so much Mrs. Lynde.”

“You are so welcome, Anne. I can’t wait to see it on you. You will be a sight to behold.”

“Gilbert’s going to pass out,” Diana added.

“No, he won’t,” Anne reassured her confidently.

“So, it’ll just be one of those situations where he forgets anyone else is in the room and kisses you without thinking?”

“Yes, I think that’s a very real possibility,” she conceded quietly.

\---

Diana and Anne couldn’t stay long and soon were on their way to Miss Stacy’s. Anne received some compliments on her clothing and overall appearance, which she accepted graciously as she made her way through the room. She snuck up behind Gilbert who was talking with Miss Stacy and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. His arms came to rest on hers, securing her grasp around him.

“Good morning, Anne.”

“How’d you know it was me? Could’ve been Diana pulling a trick.”

Diana shook her head vigorously, “I assure you it couldn’t and wouldn’t have been me. Good morning Gilbert.”

“Hi, Diana,” he laughed. He turned in Anne’s arms, kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “I knew it was you because I know what you feel like.”

Diana overheard and giggled.

“Alright everyone I appreciate your prompt arrival! To bring you all some peace of mind, I’m thrilled to say that each and everyone of you made it into Queens and a handful of you attained scores that could get you into larger universities as well. I am so, so proud of you all; you have made a great showing for Avonlea. Have at it!” she said as she slammed the paper down on the table.

Tillie picked it up, “Anne and Gilbert tied for first!”

Anne didn’t hear what was said after that regarding the scores, she got the information she needed and leaned into hug Gilbert as he kissed the top of her head. Miss Stacy turned to face them.

“Congratulations, you two. Not only did you tie for first, but you received the highest scores on the island. Very, very well done, both of you,” she paused. “Gilbert, I took the liberty of sending a telegram last night to Dr. Oak. She said, well, here,” she said, handing him the telegram.

_He’s in. Definitely. Tell him our previous offer stands, keep us apprised of any developments and we will work it out. Best, Emily_

Anne read it and asked, “What previous offer? I thought your lodging was already worked out.”

“It is, she’s talking about something else, I’ll tell you about it later. Thank you, Miss Stacy,” he said genuinely, “For everything.”

Anne stepped forward and hugged her tightly, “Yes, thank you, you’ve become so much more than our teacher and we owe you so much.”

“I’m so proud of you two,” she said, tears coming to her eyes, “Now go, get to your train before you make me cry.”

\---

Gilbert had brought his horse.

“Really? I’m expected to ride a horse in this skirt?” she eyed him, annoyed.

“Side saddle?” he asked hopefully. “Did you think we would walk to Bright River?”

“Is your carriage broken?”

“As a matter of fact it is. Bash is working on it today.”

“Ugh, fine,” she conceded. _Side saddle is the worst,_ she thought. But there really wasn’t another option at this point.

They mounted and set off, his arms wrapped around her, holding the reigns as she sat perched awkwardly in front of him. They made it only a quarter mile before Anne gave up.

“That’s enough,” she said and she slowed the horse. She hiked up her skirt, leaned back into Gilbert and threw her leg over the horse’s neck so she was riding astride. She took the reigns from Gilbert, squeezed her legs together to urge the horse on and they were off at a gallop, Gilbert suddenly having to hold on tightly with the change. He was particularly grateful for Anne’s independence and decisiveness. He was going to miss her this coming year, more than anything, but he knew he wouldn’t need to worry about her. She could take care of herself and was happy to do so.

They arrived quickly at the Bright River train station. Gilbert dismounted and helped Anne down before grabbing his satchel that had been strapped to the saddle and handing off his horse to the attendant.

“What’s with the bag?”

“I’m using it to hold things I will need later today,” he said cheekily.

“Care to share what that is?”

“I just have a bit of food and some water. We will eat at tea and dinner, obviously, but I just thought it would be nice to have something along just in case. Plus someone we’re meeting is bringing me something and I don’t know how many he was able to get.”

“Well that was vague.”

“Yes, that was intentional.”

Gilbert bought their tickets and they boarded the train. They had a couple minutes to wait before leaving the station, so they sat there watching the other passengers board and were surprised to find Billy among them. They hadn’t seen him since the county fair and his presence caught them by surprise. From the looks of it, Billy was equally surprised.

If they had seen him across the car they could have ignored each other, but they couldn’t avoid this. Gilbert tried to keep calm and simply said, “Good morning, Billy.”

“Good morning, Gilbert, Anne.”

“Good morning,” she responded.

“I hear you two are off for a day in Charlottetown.”

“Yes, we are. You?” he asked.

“Same. My father wants me to tend to some business for him. It’s not the best work, servant’s work really, but it’s a start.”

“Indeed,” Anne said, and Gilbert nodded.

A brief moment of uncomfortable silence passed and then Billy looked at them and sincerely said, “Congratulations. To you both. Have a good day.” Billy nodded, and passed them by to find a seat.

Gilbert and Anne relaxed in their seats and said nothing. He simply took her hand in his, brought it to his mouth and kissed it and they rode quietly together to Charlottetown, just enjoying being in each other’s company.

\---

“So, why are we going to the clinic?” Anne asked.

“I want you to meet someone.”

Gilbert held open the door for her and they walked in. No one was at the front desk, so Gilbert led Anne back to an exam room where an elegant and extremely well-dressed woman was restocking supplies. Gilbert knocked softly on the door and said, “Good morning, Miss Rose.”

She didn’t turn and continued on with her work saying, “So, today's the day is it? The day I meet the woman that you so callously brushed me aside for?”

Anne saw her shoulders shake and swore the woman was about to cry, she looked at Gilbert with wide eyes as the woman continued, seemingly doing her best to press through the pain. Gilbert looked down at the floor but Anne could have sworn he looked as though he were trying not to smile.

“You know, you have got some nerve, Mr. Blythe, to think you can just waltz in here parading her about in front of me and expect me to just take the abuse. My God, I deserve some semblance of respect, don’t I? I am a proper lady…”

Her voice faded out. She still had her back to them, but Anne could see her hand go to her face and she hunched over, her shoulders shaking. Anne looked at Gilbert panicking and he just looked at her smiling mischievously.

Miss Rose turned around, silently laughing so hard that she was having a hard time standing. She eventually composed herself enough to say, “Oh my! I thought I could get through it but that proper lady bit just was too much!” before erupting into another fit of giggles.

“Anne, may I introduce you to Miss Winifred Rose, secretary of the clinic and nurse as required. Winnie,” he said as he placed his hand on the small of Anne’s back and pushed her forward, “ **This** is Miss Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.”

Winifred to a deep breath and said, “An absolute pleasure.” She extended her hand in enthusiastic greeting and said “I’m thrilled to finally meet you. Is Anne with an e or without?”

Anne eyed her curiously but tentatively extended her hand to shake hers. “With, Miss Rose. Thank you for asking.”

“Please, call me Winnie.” Winifred eyed her and made no attempt to hide that she was examining every square inch of Anne. "My, my! Aren’t you just a wonder to behold? Gilbert, I dare say you weren't exaggerating a thing about her. My word, look at those eyes. Just beautiful. I thought for certain there was no way you were being entirely truthful, but here she is, **the** Anne, in all her ethereal beauty.”

“Who doesn't appreciate being examined like some prized cattle, thank you,” Anne said sharply. “Even if it is complimentary.”

“Oh, I absolutely adore you already!” She looked to Gilbert and asked, “Can I keep her?”

“No Win, she’s mine,” he laughed in response.

 _Winifred Rose… where have I heard that name before?_ Anne wondered. “Wait a minute,” she interrupted, “ **This** is who you attempted to court in your effort to get over me?!”

Winfred laughed, “Hardly! We simply had tea a couple times! There’s a plethora of reasons why Gilbert and I would never court, the only important one being that the instant we sat down to tea, you were all he could talk about. I’m still not convinced he is capable of speaking about anything besides you or medicine.”

“You underestimate him, Miss Rose,” Anne teased. “He also talks about his niece, math and some literature. Beyond that though I believe you are correct. There really is not much else in that big head of his.”

Winifred guffawed, “Gilbert why have you not brought her hear before?”

“This!” he exclaimed. “This situation right here is why I haven’t brought her here before. Bash teases me plenty at home, I don’t need you two teaming up against me as well.”

“You and I were destined to be great friends, dear Anne,” she said smiling wickedly.

“Exactly. What I thought,” Gilbert said addressing Anne, “Is that it would be helpful to have some friends in the city who could help you navigate Queens and Charlottetown. I know you’ll have all the girls, but you’re all new here and as Winnie keeps reminding me, life here is different for a young woman than in a country village.”

“It is so much better,” Winnie whispered. “You’ll love it. The pubs, the parks, the parties… the men…”

“Winnie!” Gilbert scolded.

“I only tease, you very well know the men are all on hold until we get Priscilla and Phillipa sorted, so Anne, keep your hands to yourself.” She paused and gestured them to follow her back to the foyer. “They both go to Queens, as does my friend Prissy Andrews, who I hear you are acquainted with. I never attended Queens, though I know plenty of the students there through those three.”

“You didn’t go to Queens?”

“Unfortunately, no. It was finishing school for me, for all the good it did,” she laughed. “I didn’t even make it a whole year before I was kicked out.”

“Wha- what happened?” Anne asked concerned. Gilbert started laughing having already heard the story.

“I befriended one of the maids.”

“That hardly seems reason enough to expel a student!” Anne was instantly livid at the injustice.

“Well, you see, she was African, and apparently women of society ‘ought not to mingle with the help, especially when they come from such disreputable lands’” she said mimicking a stern and nasally matron. “I still can’t fathom why we invite our maids in to see the most intimate parts of our lives, yet somehow we aren’t allowed to be friends with them.”

“So you were expelled for being friends with a woman from Africa?” Anne asked, looking for clarification, still not satisfied by the explanation.

“No. I was simply punished for being friends with her and got put on laundry duty for a week. I was expelled because matron caught us kissing in the linen closet.”

Anne burst out laughing, “She didn’t!”

“I assure you she did, and according to her we were very disrespectful to the linens. She made us wash them all again and then kicked us both out.”

“Oh that’s terrible! You seemed to have recovered nicely, but what happened to your friend?”

“Yes, I’m fine. My family simply left England. The gossip had grown tiresome and my parents, though wealthy, weren’t exactly in good graces with the other elite. They’ve always advocated for the poor and needy, you see, not by throwing money at some charity, but by actually interacting with and helping those in need. This somehow made them less and unwelcome. Which none of us really minded. Good riddance, I say. Obviously, things would have been much harder for Cora if she chose to stay. Fortunately, she was a world traveler already and wanted to move on, so we said our farewells and my father bought her passage to France at her request.”

“But to be parted from your love! Weren’t you distressed?”

“Love? Oh, dear Anne, we were simply bored and found each other attractive. There was immense infatuation for certain, but it was no great love. We were happy to have met and then ready to move on to new adventures when the affair had come to its inevitable end.”

“Pardon my boldness, but if you are interested in women, why did you even go out to tea with Gilbert at all?”

“I do not discriminate, Anne. Race, sex, height or hair color, if you are an interesting individual, I will grant you my time, if I find you appealing, I will grant you my affection. Gilbert is quite attractive, is he not?”

“Meh,” Anne mumbled and shrugged in feigned indifference.

“Thanks,” Gilbert said sarcastically.

Winifred laughed, “And who doesn’t enjoy a free cuppa? Why would I deny him?”

Anne nodded in affirmation, stifling a chuckle, “You make a well formed argument, Winnie. Why indeed?”

“Plus, there was one additional thing that I had learned about Gilbert by that point that I absolutely adored.”

“And what was that?” Anne asked.

Winifred spoke lowly, as if telling a secret, “I just love to watch him squirm, and for a couple weeks, I was very good at making him do so.”

Anne burst out laughing and Gilbert said, “And with that, we really should be going, Anne.”

“Ah yes, to tea for you two. Now Gilbert, remember what I taught you.”

“Yes, Winnie, I got it.”

“Oh,” she said dramatically, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

Gilbert rolled his eyes and Anne laughed.

“I"ll see you Saturday, Winnie."

"Bye Winnie, I'll stop by as soon as I'm settled at Queens. Thank you so much."

"Bye lovebirds, enjoy your day," she said sweetly.

\---

“I have to be honest Gilbert,” Anne said as they left the clinic. “If that woman can’t pull your attention from me, I don’t think anyone will.”

“You think?” he chuckled.

“She is remarkable.”

“Not as remarkable as you,” he said without hesitation. She smiled at him and, to his delight, didn’t argue.

They walked down the block to a tea house and were seated at a quiet table near the back of the room. Gilbert pulled out her chair for her and she looked at him quizzically.

“I told you, we are going to do this properly, one time, and then we never have to do it again.”

She laughed, “What are you trying to prove?”

“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. I guess I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking you for granted. You deserve the same exceptional treatment any other girl receives when they are being… wooed.”

“I’m way past wooed, Gil. And I think it would be better if every girl were treated like you treat me.”

“And look at that,” he said. “We already aren’t following the rules.” A waiter came to their table and they ordered a charcuterie board to share.

She smiled, willing to play along. “Alright, what are the rules?”

“I pay, you pour,” he stated, and Anne served the tea with all the feminine propriety she could muster, automatically adding the proper amount of sugar and the slightest bit of milk to his cup.

“Do you approve?” Anne asked.

Gilbert smiled at her and continued, “And we aren’t to talk about anything interesting like politics or dreams. Acceptable topics include church sermons, weather and décor.”

“Alright…” Anne considered the rules for a moment and then said, “Well then, I truly found the altar vestments quite beautiful yesterday, but between the heat and hearing how Jesus summoned disciples from the shore of the sea, I must admit that for the majority of the service I could only think about having my legs wrapped around you at the beach.”

He laughed softly and looked at her with complete adoration and said, “Well that explains the look you gave me afterward then.”

“How am I doing?” she asked, looking at him and biting her lip.

He smirked at her and quietly said, “Exactly as well as I expected you to.”

The waiter brought their food and they enjoyed the meal together and definitely did not follow any of the rules. The meal had become their own version of the question and answer session they had at the ruins with their friends.

“So, tell me, did you think about me frequently while I was gone or just when you thought there might be gold?”

“I thought of you far too frequently, but that wasn’t just on me. You should have heard all the stories Ruby wrote about you, or rather Wilbert, Hilbert and Pilpert. I couldn’t not think of you when you were all she spoke of.”

“I see.”

“That being said, I **did** miss you, though I didn’t let myself miss you as much as I actually did. Foolish notions, you see. Why spend time thinking about someone who had probably forgotten about me?”

“Right. I had totally forgotten about you. And I definitely didn’t cry when we got stuck in a terrible storm and I thought I was going to die without getting to see you again.”

“You almost died?!”

“No, no I did not. Though I learned that I didn’t know the true definition of ‘terrible storm.’ Thankfully, no one saw me cry but Bash. Though he did give me hell for it.”

She laughed. “Um, what went through you head when I told you to post for Ruby? I know you said you thought I was requesting you post for me. Did you really think I would be so bold?”

“Yes, I did. Or at least I hoped.”

“And then I mentioned Ruby.”

“Yeah, that would be one of those times I mentioned where you accidentally stabbed me in the heart. Could you really not see how hopeful I was before you mentioned her name?”

“You’re still not getting how far out of the realm of possibility this was to me. I could see you. I saw how urgently you stood to greet me. I saw hope in in your eyes. I saw how you tried to hide your smile as we spoke. And I saw you deflate at the mention of Ruby’s name. But I had no ability to interpret what that meant because it was all so entirely foreign and unexpected. And not just your reactions, but mine as well. I walked over to you, truly intent on helping my friend, but as we talked, you looked at me and not only did I forget why I was there, but I forgot how to breathe. From there on out it just took everything I had to keep standing. I was so confused.” She paused and took a drink. “What about when you saw me in Ruby’s house as it was burning down?”

“I truly thought you were insane. I thought I was in love with a crazy person, though again, I did not know that it was love at that point. But I definitely knew I thought you were crazy.”

“And that didn’t stop you?”

“Clearly.”

“So you are attracted to pain and crazy people? You may want to look into that.”

“I’m attracted to **you** , it’s not my fault you just keep things interesting.”

\---

“That was actually fun,” Anne reflected as they walked away. "You said I wouldn't have a good time."

“Well, apparently if we had fun that means we did it wrong.”

“I don’t think anything we do together could be wrong. But what do I know?”

“You ready to head down to the docks?”

“I don’t care very much for the docks,” Anne confessed.

“Oh?”

“Um… before you returned from Alberta, Marilla and Matthew tried to… return me after a miscommunication.”

“Marilla made you lie to her Anne, you don’t need to protect her.”

She looked at him surprise, “She told you?”

“Yep. Said it was the biggest mistake of her life. It still bothers her.”

“Well, it still bothers me too. It was a miserable and lonely trip back to the asylum. A man tried to abduct me at the train station here and my journey on the ferry was quite frigid. I obviously didn’t have a ticket that permitted me into the cabins and my clothes were too small and threadbare.”

“Matthew said you weren’t at the orphanage though.”

“No. I got back there well after dark and the bad memories flooded my mind. I couldn’t go back there. Believe it or not, I was not well liked,” she tried to laugh at the fact, but failed. “I didn’t fit in. Not that I fit in in Avonlea either, but these girls were something else. They tried to… never mind I don’t really want to get into it. Suffice it to say that I saw a chance to end the abuse and I took it. I slept outside that night and convinced the milkman to let me ride into town with him.”

“And he just did what you asked?”

“He was hesitant. But very kind and trusting. And I was… clever… and I took advantage of his naivete.”

“You lied.”

“I lied,” she admitted peacefully. “I had to. I couldn’t go back there. Even when I went back there with Cole last spring, I could hardly breathe. I couldn’t even speak. When the Cuthbert’s rejected me, I felt like nothing. Less than nothing. But even then I knew I didn’t deserve the abuse I received at the orphanage, so I took the opportunity and just kept running. Matthew caught up to me at the train station, he ran into the milkman as well, I guess. I was earning money for a ticket by reciting poetry and he found me. Though I’ll admit I did not immediately welcome his presence, even though I knew it was Marilla’s decision to send me away. He had no say in the matter. Marilla did apologize and that helped, but it wasn’t until Matthew’s heart attack, shortly before you left, that I knew they wouldn’t send me back.”

“But that was months later.”

“Yes. It was. Months of watching every little thing I did, everything I said, trying be the perfect lodger. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t succeed and made so many errors, but I really was trying. But it wasn’t until they lost everything yet chose to keep me that I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t until then that I finally admitted to myself that I had a home, with people who might someday come to love me.”

“You know they do now, right? More than anything.”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Well, hopefully our trip here today will redeem the docks for you,” he said. They arrived at the top of the ramp down to the docks and he looked at her expectantly. “Well?”

“Well what? What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“That,” he said pointing at a ship at the end of the pier, “is the Primrose.”

She turned her head back to him quickly and smiled, “Really?”

“No, I brought you all the way down here to make that up,” he said sarcastically. “Come on, let’s go.”

He took her hand and they made their way quickly to the ship, Anne practically skipping with delight. They went to board and they were greeted by a giant man with the darkest skin Anne had ever seen.

“Hey!” he yelled at them and Anne stopped suddenly in fear, but the man’s scowling face turned into an amiable grin.

Gilbert reached out his hand to greet him and was enveloped into a hug. Anne could have sworn she lost sight of him for a minute. “Good to see you Tiny,” he said with a smile on his face. “Is your brother doing better?”

“Took long time to recover from the burns, but he doin’ better. Don’t move too quick but he got a job shuckin’ so he can do that sittin’ down. He happy anyway. Found a lady who don’t mind the scars. She treat him good.”

“That’s great to hear, I was worried about him after that accident.”

“Weren’t no accident.”

“I know, I just don’t know who’s listening. Did you bring what I asked for?”

“Depends, you bring money?” he said with a smile.

Gilbert handed him and entire dollar and Anne’s eyes bulged out of her head.

Kofi kissed the coin and then handed Gilbert a bag that had been sitting behind him. Gilbert gently put the bag in his satchel.

“They should be ‘bout perfect. Did my best to keep 'em safe.”

“Good, because you’ve been well compensated for it.”

Tiny smiled and nodded toward Anne. “This your woman?”

“This is Anne, and yes, she is with me. Anne, this is Kofi. If you couldn’t tell, we worked together on the ship.”

Anne held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Kofi,” she said with an enthusiastic smile.

Kofi took her hand gently as he could and still almost crushed it.

“Damn, Zungi! Who knew you had it in you?” he laughed. “This the girl you wrote that love letter to?”

“It wasn’t a love letter, but yes, this is the girl I wrote to from Trinidad.”

“Girl, you should have seen him with your letter. Zungi here even slept with it. And oh, when Trinny would get him drunk he’d go on and on about you. Heya, you mind removing your hat so I can see your hair?”

To be honest, Anne’s head was aching. The pins were bothering her something fierce and she had had enough, and this looked like the perfect excuse.

“I’ll do you one better,” she said. She took off her hat and removed eight pins strategically holding up the bulk of her hair and it fell down in waves across her shoulders, and she combed her fingers through it in relief.

He gasped. “Ain’t never seen anything like it. Zungi- what's that poem you used to say before you passed out? ‘Bout the fire hair? Weren’t no drunk thing neither, you’d say it other nights too.”

“You remember that? Wow, I barely remember that.”

“You no good at drinkin’, but talkin’ you real good at.”

“I can barely remember now. I think it was ‘If ever a day comes and I’m seeking home, you will be my guide. Your eyes a compass for my soul; your hair of fire- a torch, lighting my way and warming my nights. From your lips, a siren’s call I am desperate to succumb to. We will travel the world together, and because of that, I will always be home.’”

Anne gasped, “That’s beautiful! Gilbert, who wrote that?”

He blushed and admitted, “Uh, I did. So Tiny-”

Anne interrupted him with a powerful kiss that caused him to take a couple steps back to absorb the impact.

“So **that’s** what poetry is for,” Kofi said half to himself as if everything finally made sense.

Anne stepped back and quietly said, “Sorry, it was an accident.”

Gilbert laughed as he caught his breath.

“So, Tiny,” he said, “We can go on, right?”

“Yeah, Fireman’s at the brothel then off to the pub. Doubtful he be back 'til we head out tomorrow.”

“Excellent, thanks, man. Anyone else on board I need to be worried about?”

“No. Couple guys still down below, but they harmless.”

“Smith still with the ship?” Gilbert asked nervously.

“No, he dead.”

Gilbert took a deep breath and visibly relaxed, “Good.”

Kofi added, “Amen.”

He tried to stop himself, but he had to know, “How?”

“Tried that same shit again. But she smart and strong. Fought him off with her knife then her husband walk in and shoot him. Kids at home, they fine this time.” He then turned to address Anne, “If there was any danger here for you, I’d tell it true. You safe here, girl. No worry. They may look but they won’t touch.”

“Thanks again, man, we won’t be long,” he said, and he took Anne’s hand and led her aboard.

“What did that man do?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Then why did I ask?” she challenged him.

He stopped and looked her in the eye and as seriously as she had ever heard him he pleaded, “Please don’t make me tell that story today.”

“Okay, I won’t,” she conceded.

“Thank you,” he said, relieved, and he led her down the deck and they came to rest at the back of the boat, looking out at the sea. They stopped and neither of them said anything for a time until Gilbert chose to apologize. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have even asked about him, that really killed the mood.”

“At least he’s gone now,” she said, trying to comfort him. “Anyway, tell me why you brought me here.”

“Well, you always talk about my time away like it was some luxurious trip on some fancy ship. The version that you’ve created of my experiences here is so far removed from reality that I need to correct it because I refuse to live in a world where you are right about every single thing,” he joked.

“Well, the ship is certainly smaller than I thought it would be.”

“It’s even smaller than I remember it, to be honest. This, right here, is where I used to stand and look out at the ocean and think of you. We didn’t get much time off, but when I did and when the weather was good, this is where I was.”

“Can you show me your cabin?” she asked excitedly.

He laughed out loud. “Cabin? No, I can’t show you my cabin, Anne. I had no such thing. Come,” he said nodding for her to follow him and leading her through some doors and down a corridor to a narrow, steep stairway. He descended smoothly below the deck. Anne followed closely behind, struggling a bit with the steep stairs and her skirt. She tripped off the bottom step, but Gilbert was there to catch her.

“Thank you. That was embarrassing. I’m not used to the long skirt yet.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Maybe it’s that you’re not used to climbing into the bottom of a steamer.”

“Plausible,” she laughed.

“And those who usually do are not dressed like that. Here it is,” he said presenting her to the room. “This is where Bash and I slept. So very grand, right?”

Her nose twitched and her lip quivered. “It really doesn’t smell very good.”

“And the worst part about that is that it usually smells a **lot** worse.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Yes, it is.”

Three dark skinned men sat up upon their arrival. In the dim light, Anne could barely make them out at the far end of the room.

“That the tourist?” one of them yelled out.

Gilbert smiled and they walked toward them, “Hey Eddy, how’s it going?”

“Well enough. You?”

“It’s going well. James, Elian, good to see you.”

“You too. Bash doin’ good?”

“Bash is great. He got married pretty quick after we got back home. Had a baby. His wife passed shortly after, but he’s doing well considering.”

“A baby, eh?”

“A little girl, Delphine. Treats her like a queen.”

“And who is this lady?”

“I’m Anne,” she said assertively, reaching out her hand to them.

“Lady, you don’t want to touch us, we are filthy.”

“I don’t mind really," she professed and they each tentatively took her hand in turn. "I’m thrilled to meet friends of Sebastian; he is one of the most astonishing people I have ever met and has had an indelible impact on my life.”

They looked at her confused.

“She means Bash is a good friend of hers.”

“Anne…” Eddy considered. “Ooo! This the girl you talked about when you got drunk?”

Elian chimed in, “Yes! With the carrots! Whew girl, this boy in love with you!”

“Yes, I know that now, thank you,” she laughed.

James said, “How’d you finally get her then? You go home and propose right away like you said you would?”

Anne raised her eyebrows at him, trying not to laugh.

He laughed, “No I didn’t, and I’d just like to say that I will not be held responsible for anything I said about her while drinking. You guys know I didn’t know how to drink.”

“Girl, let me see your eyes!” Elian requested.

Anne leaned in closely to him and he said, “Yep! Just like the shallow Caribbean! Just like you said!”

“You fools remember how he used to sing about her?” Eddy asked.

“I did not sing about her.”

“Yes you did!" they all responded.

“Well, this has been fun,” Gilbert ended the conversation, “But we have a long day ahead of us. Good to see you all again. Be well!”

“Bye Carrots! Bye Zungi!” they called out.

“It was lovely to meet you all!” Anne shouted back as Gilbert pulled her out of the room. They walked for a moment to get to the boiler room. They skipped the latrine. She didn’t need to be proved wrong that badly.

“This is where we worked.”

Anne gasped as she was rocked by a wave of heat, “And what did you do in here exactly?”

“We shoveled coal from those piles into those ovens,” he said, pointing to each.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Well, I guess that explains how you found time for poetry. I’m mad that you didn’t tell me about that by the way,” she scolded.

“You’re mad that I didn’t share my mediocre poetry with you? I thought I was going to scar you for life making you listen to that.”

“Don’t you dare disparage that; it was pure art.”

“Well, thanks. I disagree, but I’m glad you liked it.” He walked into the room, kicking some coal on the floor. “What do you think? Have I shown you enough that you can get those idyllic versions of me traversing the world out of your head?”

“Goodness, working in all this soot, were you ever really clean?”

“No. I don’t think I was truly clean again until I got home and got rid of everything that had been on the ship. There is soot everywhere, all the time.”

“You’re usually so put together; I would’ve liked to see you like that.”

He dragged his hand down the wall and rubbed his face with it, “Happy?”

Anne laughed, “You didn’t have to do that!”

“Anything to hear you laugh, Anne. I’ll wash it off when we leave.”

As they left, they passed Kofi again and bid him farewell.

“Hey Zungi!” he said, calling Gilbert back, “You know they call that love fruit, yeah?”

Gilbert walked back toward him, “What?”

“They an aphrodisiac. That why you want them?”

“No! Not at all! I did not even know that. Did you make that up?”

“Nope,” Kofi smiled, winked and waved them good-bye.

Gilbert began walking back to Anne but decided to have some fun. He turned around and yelled back, "Hey Tiny! How dare you think I'd need any help!"

Kofi burst out laughing and waved him off.

“What was that about?” Anne asked.

“Nothing important. Let’s find a park.”

“Why do they call you Zungi? And the tourist?”

“Mzungu is a Bantu term for someone of European descent. I was the whitest white boy here, so that’s what they called me. Eventually it got shortened to Zungi. The tourist, that was Bash’s doing. He pointed out one day that for so many people here, this is the best they are ever going to get, whereas I could come and go as I wanted. I had a home to go back to. I was a tourist. Helped me realize how lucky I was.”

\---

They found a park a few blocks inland and he took the time to wash his face with the water from his bag. Better?” he asked for verification.

“Cleaner. Here,” she said and helped clean the remaining marks on his face and then guided his chin toward her so she could kiss him. “Thank you for showing that to me.”

“I have one other thing to share with you from my travels.”

“What is it?” she asked as she watched Gilbert look in his bag and bring out the bag from Kofi.

“Whatever it is I can’t believe you spent an entire dollar on what, eight things?” she asked as he laid out eight balls on the ground. “Gilbert, you don’t have the money to spend like that!”

“Don’t I?” he asked. “I assure you I am more frugal than I am poor. I’m doing fine, Anne. And I promise, this was worth it. I can’t believe he was able to bring eight. Bash is going to be ecstatic.”

He dug in his satchel again and retrieved a pocketknife. He picked out the ripest fruit before him, peeled off the skin and offered it to Anne, commanding her, “Eat.”

“A fruit?! You spent a dollar on eight fruits?! Are you insane?!” she yelled at him and he shoved the fruit into her mouth, forcing her to take a bite, the action having the added benefit of stopping her comdemnation.

“Shut your mouth and eat the damn fruit, Anne,” he laughed.

She fell onto her back in complete bliss, chewed and swallowed. “Gilbert Blythe! What is that?”

He helped her back to a seated position. “This is a mango.”

“Oh my word, it is exquisite! Where is it from?”

“These are from Trinidad. I’m surprised he was able to get them here before they rotted, but he did it and it was worth every penny, don’t you agree?”

“Give me that,” she demanded, taking the mango and knife from him. “How did you never mention this before?”

“I didn’t really relish in the opportunity to brag to you about things that you would never be able to experience. I thought I would at least attempt to make it a possibility for you to try them. As soon as we got together, I wrote to Tiny and everything worked itself out from there, including an extended docking for the Primrose for maintenance this weekend.”

“Wow. This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. Food-wise,” she clarified and he laughed.

“I told you it was worth it, did I not?”

“Fine you were right, but if you can’t pay for school because of this fruit, don’t come complaining to me, because I will tell you it was worth it and that you don’t really need to be a doctor.”

He laughed, kissed her cheek and reached down to get his own mango and bit into it, skin and all, with delight.

\---

“Where to next?”

“A walk.”

“Is there a destination in mind?”

“Very much so,” he said as he stood and reached down to pull her up.

They didn’t have far to walk and it only took them about ten minutes to reach their destination. They turned the corner and Anne stopped short.

“It's Queens. I'm here,” she said quietly as a tear ran down her cheek. _Crap, if she’s already crying, this isn’t going to go well,_ he cringed and explained, “I know I won’t be here with you, but I thought it would be nice to walk around with you so when you tell me stories of adventuring with your friends or beating away unwanted suitors, I would be able to picture it more clearly, not that I doubt the capability of your descriptive abilities, of course.”

“This is amazing, Gil, thank you.”

They walked around the entire campus, which wasn’t very large, but Anne found she loved it.

“This is lovely, I wish we could go into some of the buildings, but I expect they are locked.”

“Um, yeah, about that, I… well… just come with me,” he said and he led her back to the center of the campus. “Yeah, I think this is it, close your eyes.”

“What?”

“I want to surprise you with something, close your eyes.”

“Gilbert I’m already astounded, what else could there possibly be?”

“Anne, there is so much more. Just do it.”

She closed her eyes and she was led around the corner and into a building. She felt the stagnant air envelop her and a familiar musky smell greeted her. He guided her to the center of the room and stood behind her and whispered in her ear, “Open your eyes, Carrots.”

She opened her eyes and gasped. In this single moment she could see more books than she had ever seen in her life.

“Welcome to the Queens College Library, Anne. Your home for the next two years,” he joked.

“Oh my goodness, Gilbert this is magnificent. I can't believe you arranged this for me.”

“That’s fine, because I didn't. I arranged this for me, I wanted to see your face when you saw this for the first time. I wanted to be here with you to watch you explore. You have permission to check out some books today if you'd like. Someone will be meeting us here in about an hour so you have a little bit of time to browse.”

They walked around together, Anne observing the stacks and Gilbert observing her, memorizing her expressions and movements to bring with him to Toronto. She eventually picked some books out and sat them down on a table and fell into Gilbert on the couch to wait for their guest.

“Well, you were right, this is an exhausting day.”

“Then you better try to revitalize yourself for what’s coming, because this is what I was referring to when I said today would be a lot. I’m going to introduce you to someone in a few minutes who you won’t be expecting.”

“Who are we meeting?” she asked curiously.

“Cecilia Anne Marie Huntington,” he spoke each name clearly, annunciated each syllable with care.

“That's quite a name.”

“She's quite a woman. She married after college and became pregnant, but unfortunately miscarried the child. Whatever happened when that occurred likely caused her infertility and they sadly remain without children to this day. Her husband taught for a few years before they moved here, when he chose to go into banking instead. Cecilia taught school for a while in Charlottetown before deciding she would much rather teach future teachers how to teach. She’s a strong advocate for the female students at Queens and over the years has helped ensure that the female students here are treated with the same respect and given the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

“She spends the summer months teaching in one of the native villages outside of town. Not like what Ka’kwet went through. Mrs. Huntington goes out to help them with anything they want to know, whether it be translating something, solving disputes, teaching English, whatever. She helps on weekends during the school year too. When she can.”

“What an amazing person,” Anne said.

“This brings us to how I met her. She was walking back to Charlottetown sometime in April and something startled her and she fell. She stumbled down a hill and happened into some kind of animal trap, yet she still managed to walk to the clinic before passing out from the pain. Removing the trap, setting the broken bones and tending to her wounds took hours, so we got to know each other fairly well.”

“Apparently,” she agreed, wondering where on earth he was going with this lengthy introduction of a teacher at her school.

They heard heels clicking across the floor and looked up to see a woman walking toward them. They both stood to make introductions as the woman came to a stop before them.

“Mrs. Huntington, thank you so much for agreeing to meet us here and for allowing us access into the library. It's a pleasure to see you again, I hope you are well?”

“Very well, thank you Mr. Blythe, my arm is nearly healed and I think I have your companionship that day to thank for that as much as the medical procedures.”

“I appreciate that,” he said, smiling. “Mrs. Huntington, this is Miss Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. As I previously mentioned, she will be attending Queens this fall and is eager to receive her teaching license. Anne, this is Mrs. Cecilia Anne Marie Huntington, she will be your advisor here at Queens.”

She extended her hand enthusiastically for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Huntington, truly, thank you so much for taking the time, I know you must be very busy."

“The pleasure is mine, you have no idea,” she said, beginning to cry.

Anne looked at Gilbert, “I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Gilbert explained cautiously, “Anne, Cecilia and her husband moved to Charlottetown, from Bolingbroke, about 16 years ago. They were looking for a new home where they could escape bad memories. The year 1883 was a difficult one for them. First, they lost their child and months later, fever took their friends.”

“Anne,” Cecelia openly wept, “you look just like your mother. Except your eyes, you have your father's eyes.”

“Cecilia Anne Marie was your mother's best friend, Anne. You were named after her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what did you think? 
> 
> This definitely needed to be 2 chapters and there is more coming. Gilbert wasn't a liar. It's a big day.
> 
> As always, in a couple days there might be some edits, but I need a break for now. This was a big one. I hope you liked it!


	16. The Date: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne hears Cecilia’s story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reactions to the last chapter! I was shocked and so so flattered by all your comments and so happy I was able to give you all a bit of a surprise. I thought for a minute I had gone too far, but if any of you thought that you kept it to yourself, and I appreciate that because I had a lot of fun writing it.
> 
> Also thank you for your patience and I'm sorry it took so long, but this chapter has been an absolute nightmare to write for so many different reasons. This is only the first half of what was originally going to be posted, so now the date will have 3 parts. I just can't get a couple of the last bits right yet, but I think this chunk is good to go so I figured I'd just divide it up. It's a bit more serious than my usual stuff, but I hope you like it!
> 
> Just a bit of a warning, this chapter discusses pregnancy loss, post partum depression/depression and survivor's guilt. I'm not sure how accurately any of these are depicted, but it's in here.

“Cecilia Anne Marie was your mother's best friend, Anne. You were named after her.”

In that moment, everything in Anne’s world stopped. She couldn’t hear anything, she couldn’t breathe; the very dust particles in the air around her illuminated by the sun streaming through the window seemed to have frozen in place. She was flooded with emotion. Rage, fear, excitement, elation, confusion… everything all at once. She blinked a few times, forced herself to breathe and everything came rushing back, catching up to where it should have been, her vision blurring and her forehead beading with sweat.

“But how did… why did… where… but… what were you…?” she stuttered and then she looked at Gilbert, swaying a bit on her feet, “I’m sorry, what is happening right now?”

“Anne, sit,” Gilbert told her, guiding her back down to the couch. “Anne, I’m sorry. I know this is a lot to surprise you with, and I wanted to tell you sooner, she was staying with her mother most the summer and only returned on Saturday. I didn’t want you to waste the summer away worrying about something that I was unable to provide you any answers to. I don’t presume I’m in a position to decide what’s best for you, but considering the circumstances regarding your history, I thought it would be good for you to meet Mrs. Huntington before the term started and make you aware of your connection.”

“Um, yes. Okay. That makes sense. Um, I’m sorry. I don’t even… I can’t… Gilbert, help,” she looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Hey, look at me, you’re fine,” he said as he intertwined his fingers with hers. “All there is to do right now is to take a deep breath and listen to what she has to say. That’s the only thing you have to do. If you want, that is, if you’re uncomfortable, we can go.”

“No! No, I’d like to stay,” she said with certainty.

Cecilia interjected, wiping her tears away, “Miss Cuthbert… Anne… how about I tell you my story and then I will answer any and all questions you have. I promise. May I sit?”

“Of course, yes,” Anne said softly. “I would just like to offer you a warning that I am a very confusing mix of angry and ecstatic right now.”

Cecilia laughed softly on an exhale. “That is perfectly understandable. I expect that I would feel that way too. I’ll have you know that Mr. Blythe certainly made no attempt to hide his anger and disappointment upon learning of our connection and my failure to seek you out over the years.”

Anne squeezed his hand to show her gratefulness.

“On the contrary, I did,” Gilbert smiled. “I was much more upset than I let on. Anne, you know I wouldn’t have arranged this if I thought it would only upset you. It’s a lot to absorb, but Cecilia is a living link to your parents and you deserve to have some answers to where you come from beyond just knowing they were Scottish.”

Cecilia nervously smoothed her skirt and began, “I have been thinking about this meeting all summer Anne and considering carefully what I could say to you to explain myself. I appreciate so much that you are willing to listen to me. Like I already said, you have your mother’s looks and based on Gilbert’s description of you, I’m assuming you inherited your kind nature from your father. Although after hearing how he speaks about you, I am in fact surprised that you are able to appear as a mere human, hiding your angel wings and all.”

Gilbert blushed faintly as Anne leaned into him and kissed the edge of his shoulder.

“So, I guess I’ll start from the beginning. I grew up with your mother, Bertha Willis. Her family moved to Canada when she was a baby. We lived on neighboring farms outside Bolingbroke and attended school together. I was not what you would consider a well-behaved child; I was always getting into trouble and Bertha was always getting me out of it. She was so, so intelligent, but rather shy. When we were young, she was so reluctant to speak up or draw additional attention to herself. She was such a good kid, kind and beautiful, obviously, but her red hair was so unusual that she thought she stood out enough as it was. I remember she read Jan Eyre when she was about, oh I’d say thirteen or fourteen and something in her shifted. She began speaking of the importance of self-respect and truth above all else. She stopped caring that she was unusual and found her confidence in the words of that story. And by that, I mean that it was best if you just stayed out of her way because come hell or high water, she was going to do what she wanted. That girl could talk her way out of or into anything and God help you if you found yourself on the opposing side of her opinion. Even if you were technically correct you weren’t going to win.”

“Sounds familiar,” Gilbert whispered. Anne laughed softly in response.

“We both attended college in Bolingbroke and then became teachers in town. We met your father, Walter Shirley, while walking down the street, heading home from the school one day. Bertha mis-stepped, tripped on the curb and fell into him. I think it was destiny. She was the most graceful person I knew and I think that’s the only time I ever saw her stumble. And my oh my, I have still never seen two people more instantly in love with each other. It was almost magical.

“I’ll be frank, and he was the first to admit this, a handsome man he was not. But my word,” she looked up, her eyes glossy at the memory, “To this day I have never met anyone more kind or more pure-hearted. I don’t think there could ever be another as genuinely **good** as Walter Shirley. We used to call him Sir Walter, because he was our very own knight in shining armor come to life. Gallant as he was good, kind as he was selfless. Oh Anne, it breaks my heart when I think of you being robbed of him. For the short time granted to him, he was the most attentive father. Even at three months old, your mother was aware all discipline would fall on her because in his eyes, you already could do no wrong. Even when you kept them up all hours of the night, your mother would find him holding you in the morning, smiling and whispering in your ear as you slept, calling you strong and beautiful and telling you that he was going to move heaven and earth to give you everything you could ever desire.

“Most people, even good people, are selfish, at least a little bit. And I’m including myself in this, of course. We are always trying to prove ourselves. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I’m sure most of us have had moments where we know that if we don’t stand up for ourselves, no one will. But it was like Walter existed to point out the good in others, I don’t think he thought about himself a day in his life. Oh Anne, one conversation with him and you felt you could conquer the world; he could instantly see the best in anyone and was not only quick to offer you praise, but he would also find the silver linings in your faults and insecurities and show you how they were strengths.

“Everyone he met loved him, but no one more than Bertha. And he looked at her like she hung the stars in the sky. They married only a few months after meeting. It was a small ceremony; both their parents had died by that time, but I was there as a witness, and Walter’s friend Simon attended as well. They kept their marriage quiet because she wouldn’t have been able to teach had anyone known. Their wedding day was the day I first met my Simon. Walter essentially pushed me toward him indicating that he was the last man I would ever need to meet. And he was right, of course,” she laughed. “We courted longer than your parents, but we were married within the year.

“Neither Bertha nor I wanted to have children right away. Again, we kept our marriages quiet, it hardly would have done to become pregnant, can you imagine the scandal? We lived in small accommodations near each other at the opposite end of town from the school so it was surprisingly easy to hide our relationships. A few years after we got married, the rules changed and married women were finally allowed to teach! We were so excited to no longer have to hide that bit of our lives, especially since the idea of motherhood was growing on us as well. Now, please pardon my candor. We each became a little more um… relaxed… in our efforts to avoid conception. Honestly, it was a miracle we made it as long as we did without having children. As a result, we both became elatedly pregnant in 1882. We shared this news with each other on the same day. The way we jumped around, hugging and crying tears of joy you would have thought we were becoming Queens, but believe it or not, this was so much better than even that. We were so, so excited to be going on this adventure together,” she said happily, though tears quickly returned to her eyes with the memory. “We had so many ideas for our children. Dreaming of who they would become, what they would do with their lives and what they would look like. And of course, if possible, our children would marry and then Bertha and I would finally be properly related.

“Sometimes I think it’s my ostentatious planning that caused the following events,” she looked down, shaking her head. “You know the saying- counting my chickens before they’ve hatched and all. And I know, I **know** it’s not true. I do. I know that isn’t how the universe works, but I still can’t make sense of everything that happened… or why,” Cecilia began crying again and Anne took her hand in both of hers as she continued. “We expected that I was due in April of 1883, but something went wrong in January of that year and we lost the child. God, I was so scared. I knew something was wrong the whole time of course, from the very first pains at the beginning of the week. If not a mother’s intuition, then just the simple fact that it hadn’t been long enough and I was experiencing odd pains I hadn’t heard were typical. It was a boy,” she sobbed. “I delivered him and he was the tiniest child I had ever seen. Barely even looked human. If he were alive when the labor began, he didn’t survive the trauma of the delivery. I was able to hold his lifeless body for a while, but we buried him that night. Your mother came to comfort me, making every attempt to hide her growing stomach from me, not wanting to flaunt what I was robbed of. I appreciated her efforts of course, but nothing could be done to assuage my sorrow.”

Empathetic as they were, Anne and Gilbert had both been wiping away tears at Cecilia’s story. Anne imagined that she too would have issues coping with such a loss and didn’t find it at all surprising that telling the story, even sixteen years later was a dreadful task to endure.

“I know you’re wondering why I didn’t take you in after your parents died Anne, and if I could have, I promise I would have. It was my duty to be there for her in that way. We were closer than sisters, more like…”

“Kindred spirits?” Anne offered quietly.

Cecilia sighed and sniffed, “Yes, exactly. Kindred spirits. At times it felt like we shared a soul. The very least I could do was to take in the child she left behind. Simon and I were parents without a child and they left behind a child who needed a family. It would seem a logical and mutually beneficial arrangement, but Anne, after losing my son, I was bedridden for months. I wasn’t physically ill, but I was broken. I couldn’t see the point in living anymore and I couldn’t shake myself out of it. Simon grieved with me, of course, but eventually he moved past it, never getting over it, but at least able to work and live. Bertha and Walter would come by daily, trying to raise my spirits, but when you were born in March, the visits stopped for a time so she could recover and tend to you. They eventually started coming around with you in tow. She thought it would cheer me up to see that good things were still possible, even after everything could go so wrong, but I couldn’t see it. I saw how happy they were with you, but I was left with nothing but jealously that only fueled my melancholy. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for them, but I was lost.

“A few months later, they got ill and passed so suddenly. I could hardly comprehend the news. My husband and I caught the fever soon after. He recovered quickly enough, but it hit me harder. I was still recovering from everything else and it took many months for me to be able to even stand properly again. I had lost my child, and likely the chance at ever having another. And then I lost my friends. I was furious and frustrated. I spent day after day, month after month, wondering why it didn’t take me instead, someone who had already given up and had so little to live for. Praying every day that time could be rewritten and I could change places with at least one of your parents. I was not physically, emotionally or mentally, able to care for you Anne.”

“I had nothing to offer you, I couldn’t even take care of myself. Every day I wanted it all to end. To this day I don’t know how Simon endured it all, or why he even bothered staying with me, but he did. He was exactly who I needed him to be, never wavering in his care or in his belief that I would get better someday. In addition to working, he was caring for me as if I were an infant. We discussed taking you in, but knew it wasn’t possible, not with my condition. We heard you were placed with a large family near the school where you would have other kids to play with while growing up. If the timing had been different, it’s possible I could have been there for you. But it wasn’t different, and fortunately from what we had heard, you had found a good home. That December, we decided a change of scenery might help me so we moved to Charlottetown. The move helped, but it was still well into summer before I was strong enough both mentally and physically to function normally again.

“Gilbert hasn’t given me much information, but he has informed me that you did not, in fact, find a family to be part of until quite recently and that your childhood would be considered traumatic at best. I swear to you that will weigh on my conscience until the end of my life. Even though I thought you were happy and in a good home, I should have sought you out. I should have been checking in on you. I should have tried and kept trying until I found you. You deserve to know your parents and I knew that we were your only link to them, but I convinced myself that you were better off without me because I’m selfish and I knew it would be too painful to see you again. Looking at you is not only evidence of what I lost, but also my greatest failure. Bertha and Walter never asked anything of me, and in this one opportunity to be there for them, I failed monumentally. I failed you, and I am so, so sorry.”

Anne leaned into Cecilia and hugged her fiercely. “You are thoroughly forgiven, Mrs. Huntington,” she whispered. “Though you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Cecilia released what remaining control she had and sobbed into Anne, years of regret and anguish finding release at the simple words of this young woman. Anne let her cry for a few minutes while holding her, offering what felt like very little comfort for all this woman had endured and lost.

Anne’s anger was gone. She didn’t hold a thing against Cecilia, she was right. Had the timing been different, things may have worked out, but it wasn’t different, _and things still worked out,_ she thought. She found a family, who oddly fit the descriptions given of her parents. Matthew was the kindest man in the world and Marilla was the disciplinarian. Matthew did everything he could to give Anne the world and Marilla loved her, and indulged her at times, but kept her grounded. 

Eventually Anne couldn’t hold herself back any longer, “Mrs. Huntington?”

“Please, call me Cecilia, Anne,” she said as Anne released her from her hold.

“Cecilia, I have just one question.”

“Only one? I don’t believe that for a minute.”

“Well, one for now,” she conceded. “It’s about my name. Cecilia is so much more beautiful than Anne. And I mean no disrespect, but Anne is ever so plain. Why did my parents choose Anne?”

She laughed at the unexpected levity of the question. “Oh, um, there was a man in town when we were growing up named Cecil who we all just despised. He was a cruel old man who reeked of stewed cabbage and we even saw him kick a dog once. He would sit on his front porch yelling at everyone as they passed. As much as she loved me, she hated that old man even more, so Cecilia was out. Then she was left with Anne Marie. Anne Marie Shirley.”

Anne’s jaw dropped, “I have a middle name?”

“Did you not know?” Cecilia looked confused.

“Who would have told me?” she laughed.

“Of course, sorry. Yes, your name is, or at least was, Anne Marie Shirley.”

“Anne Marie Shirley Cuthbert,” she said to herself. “Holy hell, that’s a mouthful.”

Gilbert and Cecilia both laughed.

“I’m sorry but I’m going to need to think on that. I’m just not sure that it suits me yet. I’ve gotten so used to Anne Shirley-Cuthbert over the past few years.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Anne, and you don’t need to apologize. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert is a lovely name. And I’m so pleased to hear that you kept their name with you throughout the years. Honoring them even when you didn’t know them. I truly am sorry that I wasn’t there for you. But it seems everything worked out for you, right? You seem happy, or at least you did before Gilbert introduced you to me… and it’s quite obvious that you are loved,” she said, eyeing Gilbert.

Anne looked at Gilbert and squeezed his hand, “I think I ended up where I was supposed to be. I have the most wonderful family, fantastic friends and yes, I am loved, more than I ever thought was possible.”

Gilbert looked at the clock on the wall, “Anne, I’m sorry, but I need to go meet up with someone just for a moment, would it be okay if I left you here with Cecilia for about half an hour?”

Anne looked at him like his request just answered a problem she had on her mind. “That would be perfect, Gilbert! Thank you!”

He laughed a bit uncomfortably, “You’re welcome? Are you so keen for me to leave?”

“A bit, yes, but don’t worry, I’ll explain myself later.”

Gilbert kissed her cheek and said, “I’ll be back quick as I can and then we’ll go have some dinner.”

As he walked away, he heard Anne say, “I really look forward to getting to know more about you and my parents throughout the year, but for now, I have some questions regarding my education here at Queens. Do you think you could answer them for me?”

Cecilia laughed; Gilbert expected she was relieved to be talking about something less emotionally taxing. “That’s my job Anne, and I would love to help you.”

\---

Gilbert walked across the campus and through the center of town to the home of Mr. Chadwick Miller. He knocked on the door and it was opened within a few moments.

“Future Doctor Blythe! Right on time, just as expected. One moment and I’ll get you the key,” Chadwick said enthusiastically.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller. How are you doing?”

“Well, boy, quite well,” he answered. “Still a bit slow on my feet but feeling better every day. Life finally seems to be getting back to normal thanks to you and Doctor Ward! Here you go, son. You taking up that girl you’re in love with?”

Gilbert raised his eyebrows, questioning Mr. Miller’s deduction. “I don’t remember telling you about Anne.”

“You didn’t have to. I mentioned I had the key to one of the most romantic views in the city and I quite literally saw a twinkle appear in your eye. I could see the wheels starting to turn in your head and then you didn’t participate in the conversation again until I stood to leave the clinic and you asked if you could borrow the key sometime.”

“Well, that sounds about right,” Gilbert admitted, a little frustrated at how apparent his feelings were, even to a near stranger. “Yes, I’m taking the girl I’m in love with,” he admitted “No one will enjoy the view more than her. I appreciate you granting us this opportunity, really, more than I can say.”

“It’s no trouble. No trouble at all. Just lock up when you leave and I will need the key back some time tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you again.”

“Do you mind me asking, do you plan on proposing up there?”

Gilbert laughed, “No, I don’t think that would be a very good idea. We are rather prone to clumsy and unfortunate injuries and situations. One time she was sitting on a bridge and something startled her and I ended up soaking wet in a river. I didn’t really want to risk pulling a ring out of my pocket on a wooden platform that high in the air. Seemed like I would just be asking for trouble.”

Mr. Miller laughed heartily, “Too true, lad, too true. You’ve thought about it though?”

“Yes. Extensively. When the time is right, I’ll know.”

“You talked to her parents then?”

“Yes. Weeks ago. I’m fortunate in that they’ve been supportive of our relationship longer than we’ve actually been together.”

“Yes, you are. Ah, to be young and in love,” he looked off into the distance wistfully. “Go get her, boy, and don’t let her go. Have a good night,” Mr. Miller said with a wink as he shut the door.

\---

When he arrived back in the library, it looked as though Anne and Cecilia were still deep in conversation so he sat in a comfortable chair near the entrance and waited, somewhat nervously. He watched Anne diligently from across the room, relieved to see her friendly interaction with Mrs. Huntington. Truthfully, he had been worried about springing this introduction on her without warning. He wanted it to be a good surprise, but was aware it would be overwhelming and that she could have been furious with him for keeping such a large secret to himself for so long. Fortunately this didn’t seem to be the case, though it had yet to be determined what her reaction would be when they were alone. He saw the two hug and Cecilia left out a side door as Anne walked back toward Gilbert at the main entrance.

“How did it go?” he asked as he stood to meet her. “Was she able to answer your questions?”

Anne placed a pile of books and papers on the table next to him and pushed him back down into the chair. She leaned over and kissed him, eventually sitting in his lap as she eagerly deepened the kiss. Gilbert was surprised but didn’t question her affection and just chose to enjoy it while it lasted. Eventually he could tell the kiss was coming to an end and he groaned in disappointment as her lips left his.

“No,” he whispered, chasing her mouth with his. “Come back.”

“Gilbert, we need to go eat, you said you arranged for us to have dinner somewhere.”

“That can wait. Also, I don’t think that’s what I’m hungry for.”

She laughed, “I love when you say things like that. Somehow it still surprises me every time.” She threaded her fingers through the hair on the side of his head and her hand came to rest gently on the back of his neck. She rested her forehead against his and said, “Thank you, Gilbert Blythe, for the most amazing day of my life.”

“You’re welcome, Anne. But you’re a fool if you think we’re done.”

“Seriously? There’s more?”

“Only a bit, and nothing as surprising as this was.” He looked at her seriously, trying to see if there was anything she was trying to hide, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am so much more than okay. I was surprised by this, obviously, but any anger I had at you for keeping this secret and at her for seemingly being yet another person to abandon me was misplaced and short lived. I’m so happy she’s here and she really does seem glad to have reconnected with me.”

Gilbert slumped back into the chair and released a sigh. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that. And I love the idea of you being so close to someone who knew your parents so well. I know you’ll be busy with school, but over the next couple years I expect you will be able to learn so much about all of them.”

“Ah, yes, um Gil, can I put this stuff in your bag?” she said as she stood, pointing to the pile of books.

“I’m not sure it will fit, but I’d be happy to carry it for you. We’re going to Aunt Jo’s next so it’s no big deal. What is it?”

“Umm… it’s homework.”

He stood and laughed, “What?”

“It’s some reading so I can get a bit of a head start.”

“That seems like cheating.”

“It’s only cheating if I were in the same race as another and that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain later. Did you say we’re going to Aunt Jo’s?” she questioned, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I thought we could have a relaxing dinner there, if that’s okay with you.”

“That sounds perfect. I have to ask though, how did you keep that all a secret? You saw the dress and you didn’t last two days!”

“It was difficult, but I kept reminding myself that even if I told you of her existence, I didn’t have any real answers for you. I didn’t want it weighing on your mind with everything else that was going on like the exams and keeping our relationship quiet. And yes, I know you could’ve handled it, but you didn’t have to. You didn’t need the extra burden. Also, I didn’t need the incessant questioning.” He smirked at her and she playfully hit his arm with the back of her hand.

\---

After a leisurely stroll they arrived at Aunt Jo’s. They knocked and were surprised when Cole answered the door.

“You’re late,” he chastised.

“Marginally,” Gilbert said dryly, “What is it, eight minutes?

“Ten.”

“Relax Cole,” Anne said. “You could have started without us.”

“I’m not eating with you, Anne. Gilbert requested a romantic dinner, and a romantic dinner you shall receive. I’ll have you know he paid dearly for it. You’ll find your dining experience has been arranged out back. Gilbert, a word?”

Gilbert followed him into a side room and asked, “What?”

“You’re proposing to her now, right?”

Gilbert’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline in surprise. “What? No! Why does everyone always think I’m about to propose? Bash checks like every other day. And Matthew didn’t understand why I hadn’t yet. Then Diana was all asking questions and Rachel Lynde is sewing her a wedding gown. Yeah, you heard me correctly. Even Mr. Miller asked if I’m proposing and he doesn’t even know us! We have been courting openly for, like, three days. Isn’t there a certain way these things are done?”

“First of all, you don’t need to know you to see how far gone you are. Second, since when have you done what you’re supposed to do? You’ve been in love with her for three years and by my count have spent multiple nights with her already. And according to your ‘payment,’ there are very few remaining secrets between you two. Thanks for writing and telling me that beach story by the way. I haven’t laughed that hard in months. Aunt Jo thought I was having a fit.”

“So happy to provide you some amusement,” Gilbert said sarcastically. “So now, and I’m just going to be clear that your request for a proposal will have absolutely no effect on when I actually do propose, why do you want it to happen over dinner?”

“Because I have essentially created a wonderland for you two dopes and it deserves a proposal.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint, but there will be no proposal over dinner. We are just here to eat and relax a bit-”

“Before going to the actual site of the proposal?” Cole asked, clapping his hands together excitedly.

“Before going over to the town hall for the final part of our date,” Gilbert said evenly.

“The town hall? Seriously? Anne always writes to me about how sweet you are and how romantic and perfect you are and you’re taking my girl to town hall? On a Monday evening? If I’m being honest, I find that a little disappointing.”

“Well, I can promise you that **my** girl will not be disappointed.”

“What are you waiting for?” Cole asked almost angrily, “You know she’s going to say yes!”

“I’m waiting for the right moment. My lady awaits,” Gilbert said and headed to the door. “Oh and Cole, I assume that sometime this year Anne is going to insist upon you meeting a woman named Winifred Rose. If you care for my sanity even just a little bit, please don’t become friends with that woman. Together, you two would destroy me.”

“I don’t think that was the effective deterrent you were going for, Gilbert!” Cole called out to him as he left the room.


	17. The Date: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of Anne and Gilbert's date in Charlottetown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said that 90% of this was written already when I last posted and that was true for a bit, but the last 10% was a bitch to figure out and it turned into about 50% of the story and about 100% of the fluff.
> 
> I just need to ask one thing of you- pretend that the Grimm version of Sleeping Beauty actually used the term Sleeping Beauty. I’ve tried to avoid anachronisms in this story, but if I like something enough, then I just ignore that it doesn’t technically fit and ask you to do the same.
> 
> This might not be what you expect, or maybe it totally is. Don’t hate me.

Gilbert found Anne waiting for him near the door to the veranda and they went outside and met Rollings. He explained that all courses would be delivered as soon as they were seated, affording them all the privacy they desired during the meal. They were led to an ivy-covered pergola overlooking the brook that ran through the grounds and entered the space to find tiered candles burning in each corner and chains of flowers hung from above. The sun was still decently high in the sky, but the yard was well shaded and the ivy on the pergola blocked out even more of the daylight, so the glow of the space really was quite romantic.

“Oh my goodness,” Anne said on an exhale. “How exactly did you compensate him for this? I don’t expect he’d take money.”

“I told him what happened at the beach,” Gilbert answered. “When I asked him for this favor, that was his demand. I think I could’ve talked him down since it was for you, but I like Cole and I thought he would enjoy the story. And I know he won’t use it against us, well, not against you anyway.”

They sat down together on the blanket that had been provided for them and their meal was delivered within moments. They thoroughly enjoyed the food, and neither could remember a grander culinary experience. They especially appreciated the wine that Aunt Jo had recently received from a friend in Italy, though it made them both quite sleepy after the long day they had already had.

“That was delicious,” Anne said after setting their dishes aside. She stretched out her legs and lay back on the blanket. “Gil, I am exhausted. I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute. Let me know when it’s time for our next adventure.”

Gilbert kissed her forehead, lay down beside her and they both drifted off to sleep. About an hour later, Gilbert woke as the wind shifted, finding Anne’s head in the crook of his neck, her arm wrapped tightly around his waist and her left leg entwined with his. He smiled, hugged her to him and laid her back gently on the ground where she kept sleeping. He then sat up and looked around, trying to gauge what time it was, and he was relieved to see that the sun was still up.

“Good evening, sleeping beauty,” Cole said without looking up from where he sat on a chair just outside the cover of the pergola.

“Cole, I’m not going to lie to you; I find it a little creepy that you’ve just been sitting here this whole time watching us sleep.”

“I wasn’t watching you sleep. I was drawing you, you paranoid fool.”

Gilbert laughed and asked, “How is that better?”

“I’m not sure,” Cole said with his brow furrowed and a pencil in his mouth as he modified the shading with some charcoal “but it’s certainly not worse.”

“So I take it that your drawing skill has returned then?” Gilbert asked, hopeful that his friend had fully recovered.

“It’s getting there. Still not what it used to be, but I think Anne will be plenty fond of this regardless. It’s not the worst thing I’ve done.”

“Can I see it?”

“No, it’s not done,” he responded, like it was the stupidest question he could have asked.

“Well then you better finish it up because we have one more thing to do before coming back for the night.” He leaned over and kissed Anne’s lips. “Carrots, wake up,” he whispered.

“Doctor Blythe, you can do better than that,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, _Doctor Blythe_ ,” Cole said in mockery, “You can do better than that.”

Anne propped herself up on her elbows and glared at Cole.

“I didn’t realize one could blush so furiously so soon after waking,” he said, his concentration never wavering from his sketch. “Regardless, there’s no need to waste it on me. I know for a fact that far more provocative things have come out of that pretty little mouth of yours.”

She reached for a leftover biscuit and threw it at him, pleased with herself when it bounced off his forehead.

Gilbert laughed. “Nicely done. Come on Anne, let’s go,” Gilbert said, reaching down for her hand. “Only one more stop, I promise. And it’s not much, just something I want you to see.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you,” she said as she took his hand and stood. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued, “You said we were going to take a walk earlier and meet someone knew. If not technically a lie, then certainly the biggest understatement I’ve ever heard you proclaim.”

“I promise, this will be nothing like that,” he said. “For a better explanation, I am going to show you something and then talk to you about something.”

“And how serious is this talk? Unknown woman who I’m secretly named after serious or…”

He laughed, “Anne, I promise, no life altering events will occur for the remainder of the day.”

He heard Cole scoff in exasperation behind him and he rolled his eyes.

Anne didn’t notice and raised herself up and kissed his nose. “I’ll meet you in the foyer, just give me a moment,” Anne requested and rushed away from them to freshen up.

After she left, Cole said, “Think about what I said, Gilbert. You know she’ll say yes.”

“Cole,” he said quietly, laughing. “Don’t worry about it. Believe it or not, I think I know what I’m doing for once.”

“Are you sure?” Cole looked at him skeptically.

“Yes. After two and a half years of overthinking every word I say to her and then a few months where I learned to let go a bit and trust my instincts, yes, I think I finally know what I’m doing. When the time is right, I’ll know, and I will propose. I promise. You know I carry the ring with me at almost all times, and I promise you I’m well prepared. Why are you so worried about this? Do you think I won’t do it? That I’ll back out on her?” He looked at Cole incredulously.

Cole stood, closed his sketchbook and tossed it onto the blanket. “Look, I know you mean well, and that you have every good intention with her. But I notice things, and I’m just looking out for her. I’m the one who first told her that you had a crush on her way back when we were attempting to save Miss Stacey’s job, and only because I thought telling her that you were in love with her would have been a bit too much for her to handle.”

“You think?”

“Gilbert, did you know that you were in love with her then?”

“No,” he admitted. “But I know now that I was.”

“Exactly. You’re incredibly smart, but I think that sometimes you get too stuck inside your head thinking about your feelings instead of just feeling. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, but I assure you it’s been much less of a problem as of late. Anne is very good at getting me out of my head. I often think I’m about to burst from all these _feelings_ and to be honest, it’s somewhat disconcerting and more than a little painful at times.”

Cole laughed, “Well, that’s good to hear, because what you’re explaining to me, telling me that you’ll _just know_ when the time is right? That sounds a lot like passionate Anne and not very much like logical Gilbert.” Gilbert was about to interrupt but Cole stopped him, “No, please don’t tell me about how passionate you are, she tells me plenty, I assure you. Despite all that, you will always be the more logical and pragmatic one in the relationship and I think you are missing something. If you ask me, I think you are waiting for her to be ready, and not paying close enough attention to see that she’s ready.”

“Well, no one is asking you, and I know that she’s ready. And are you seriously claiming that I don’t pay close enough attention to her? Really? Because I’ve been staring at her for years and can list to you each and every one of her traits and mannerisms from the pattern of freckles on her across her cheeks to the fact that she bites the left side of her bottom lip when she’s feeling mischievous and the right side when she’s trying to solve a problem. I even know that we have about thirty seconds until she comes out and yells at you for delaying me. There are times that I swear I can read her better than I can sort out my own mind, so yes, in so many ways, I’ve noticed that she is ready.”

“Then I don’t understand why you’re waiting!”

“Look, I clearly don’t know how to explain it, but I promise, I swear to you that it will happen. Before I leave for school, it’ll be done.”

“Gilbert! Let’s go!” they heard Anne call from the veranda. Gilbert’s eyebrow rose on his forehead as Anne yelled at Cole, proving him correct. “Cole, stop bothering him! I don’t know why you keep pulling him aside, but he’s almost as stubborn as I am I promise that yelling at him isn’t going to change anything!”

“Told you,” Gilbert said as he walked away.

“Anyone could have called that!” Cole called after him.

When he climbed the steps up to the veranda, he took her hand and they walked into the house so he could get his bag.

“I’m not **that** stubborn,” he argued.

“The only way I’ve been able to change your mind about anything is by kissing you. Did you want me to share that with Cole? Because from watching you two argue about whatever it was, I think he’d take the opportunity to try and change your mind.”

“It’s **your** kisses that change my mind, Anne. No one else would be successful with that method.”

\---

They left the manse and headed back to the center of town, through the city park and to the town hall.

“You wanted to show me the town hall?” Anne asked. “Why? It’s not like we can even get in, it’s already almost sunset; no one is going to be here.”

“That’s why I have this,” he said, pulling a key out of his satchel with a mischievous grin. “And we aren’t going into the town hall. What would I show you in there, the court room? No. I want to show you something you might actually enjoy.”

“Gilbert, if I were with you, I think I’d enjoy an empty courtroom just fine.”

He laughed, “Even so, I think you’ll like this better.” He led her to the side of the building and unlocked a door at the base of the clock tower. “After you,” he said, then followed her in. “There should be a lantern right… ah, here it is,” he said as he bent over to retrieve and light the lamp. The sun still lit the space a bit, but the stairs were fairly dark and he was grateful Mr. Miller mentioned the lamp.

“And now?” Anne asked, looking around.

“Well, the only way to go is up, so I guess I recommend you start climbing,” he said with a laugh. “Watch your step, I hear it’s a bit steep.”

She started climbing and after the first flight of stairs she tired of tripping over her long skirt. She gathered the front of it and tucked it up into her waistband so she could maintain her grip on the railing. Gilbert watched her, appreciating her resourcefulness, never having seen anyone do that before.

“Clever,” he said, almost to himself.

“Does that surprise you?”

“No. I just haven’t seen it done before.”

“Well, here I’ve gone and scandalously revealed to you the shape of my knees; it’s hardly a decent and proper thing to do. So yes, I expect I would be the first person you see do it,” she said as she continued to climb. “Any idea how many steps there are?”

“Mr. Miller said eighty-six. It was built in 1886 and they wanted to have eighty-six steps up to the top.”

“Mr. Miller?”

“A man I met at the clinic. He tends to maintenance here, which he can now continue doing thanks to the help of Doctor Ward.”

“And you.”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“And to think I once thought you so conceited.”

He laughed. “Once? I’m pretty sure you called me arrogant, like, two days ago. And like every other day before that.”

“That’s different. You should learn to take a bit of pride in your work and accomplishments, Gilbert. You work hard for Doctor Ward, and clearly, you’re doing well. I doubt Mr. Miller would let you in here if that weren’t the case.”

“That might be partly true,” Gilbert admitted, “but I think mostly he let me in here because he thought I was trying to impress a girl.”

She laughed and they continued climbing. They arrived at the top, slightly winded, as the sun was beginning to set. The bright pinks, oranges and purples were glowing in beautiful contrast with the navy clouds moving in from the south. They stood next to each other in silence for a moment, appreciating the view and catching their breath before Anne turned to him and asked, “Well, I know you aren’t trying to impress me anymore, so what is the real reason you brought me here? Besides the view, of course, which I must say is astounding.”

“I will always try to impress you,” he confessed, “or at least use my actions to show you that I love you. That’s never going to stop. But you’re right, impressing you wasn’t my primary goal right now.” He took a deep breath, “I brought you up here because I remember one time that you told me you used to steal yourself away in the tower attic of the orphanage, writing fantasy to escape your reality. Pretending that you were a princess with the ability to escape her tormenters.”

She scoffed, embarrassed and disappointed that he would bring this, of all things, up on what until now had been a perfect day. She looked down, ashamed, and said quietly, “We came up here so you could remind me that I was crazy and stupid?”

“Anne, no,” he said. “You are the strongest and smartest person I know who while only a child came up with a means of self-preservation when she was trapped in a life that was trying to break her spirit and beat her into submission. We came up here so I could read you a story.”

She laughed, “What?”

He reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook, retrieving from within it some worn pieces of paper.

“I’m going to read you a story, or rather the end of a story, if I read you the whole thing, we would be up here well past dark and I am not doing those stairs in the middle of the night, even with a lantern. Twelve-year-old you was not especially big on brevity.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. It says here that you wrote this in 1895, so that would make you twelve years old, yes?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll have you know that information makes me feel like a complete failure regarding my imagination but this isn’t about me.” She chuckled and he continued, “This is about you, the crazy genius who, when essentially uneducated, wrote better than our entire graduating class. Just keep that in mind.”

“I don’t have the best confidence, Gilbert, but I know I’m a good writer. What are you trying to prove?”

“That you penned your own destiny,” he said quietly.

She laughed, but then turned silent at his suddenly serious expression, “What are you talking about?”

“You became what you wrote. No, stop, before you tell me I’m wrong, just listen to me. Or, listen to you I guess.”

She bit her lips together in an effort to stay quiet, looked at him expectantly and took a deep breath.

He read aloud the distinctive scrawl of a younger Anne, passionately writing as fast as she could:

_Princess Cordelia stood confidently, looking out at her kingdom from the highest tower of her castle as her flying lizard-horse flew giddily around. She breathed deeply, taking in the aromatic smell of flowers and freedom. It had been a year since she escaped. As she stood there, her long, flame colored hair blowing gently in the breeze, she reflected on how far she had come._

_She was truly free, and her freedom would never be taken from her again, of that she was certain. She had thought she had escaped so many times, only to be tricked and brought back to her imprisonment tortured by the words, actions and abuse of her keepers. Even the vermin of castle she was trapped in seemed to hate her, or maybe they were captives here as well, their frightened screeches diligently keeping her awake at night. Over time they had worn her down, true enough, but they could not break her._

_She had escaped. She remembered laughing wildly as she made her way through the haunted wood for the last time, confident that this time she would be successful. Across land and sea, she fought her way through all obstacles and she didn’t give up until she found the family she had been deprived of all these years, who after determining it was not a trick, welcomed her home to their castle._

_She laughed when she thought back on her expectations that a prince would swoop in to save the day. How naïve she had been. It wasn’t until a month or two before her escape that Prince Wisteria told her that her parents thought she was dead. All this time, as she dreamed of being rescued, there hadn’t even been anyone searching. No knights were in pursuit, no armies were seeking her leaving no stone unturned. Who would show up to slay dragons when no one knew there were dragons that needed slaying? Her parents, having grieved her death, had no reason to search for their only daughter. She had been waiting foolishly all that time, waiting for a salvation that was never going to arrive._

_Cordelia was forgiving, but justice was still being served. Perhaps if he and his family had shown any sort of remorse at the events things might have been different, but Prince Wisteria would remain imprisoned for thirteen years, the same as he had held her and all trade and relations were cut off with their kingdom. When he was taken prisoner, she made sure the prince was aware that it was his words that gave her the push she needed to break free: ‘Your parents have mourned your death. No one is coming for you. No one wants you. No one cares.’_

_‘I care,’ she had thought, ‘And I am enough.’ Never again would she wait for someone to save her. On the eve of her escape, she simply decided that this time she would succeed or die trying. Afterall, this existence wasn’t living; she had nothing to lose. The risks in escaping were many, but the reward was worth her life. Two weeks she travelled by night and cowered away by day, eventually delivering her own bruised, beaten and scarred body to the steps of the ivy-covered castle of her memory. She collapsed in exhaustion as she heard a guard yell out to open the gate._

_She was frustrated that her mind didn’t escape so easily._

_Even within the luxurious halls of the castle, the memories persisted, attacking her in her sleep when her defenses were at their weakest, haunting her as memories were triggered while she went about her day. It took time, and it took love, but they eventually started to fade. She expected the memories would remain in her mind throughout the rest of her life. Maybe one day she would just accept them but allow them to hold no power over her. She had always known she didn’t deserve poor treatment she received, but she had to learn that she deserved good. She deserved to be loved and she was worth loving._

_Everyone deserves a chance at love and happiness, and she was not going to be the exception to the rule. After a lifetime of feeling like a burden, feeling like an outcast, she was finally surrounded by family and friends; people who chose to love her, and would continue to love her despite her mistakes, eccentricities and abysmal red hair. Or maybe, just maybe, because of them._

_It was with these people she found her home and it was here she truly lived happily ever after._

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Gilbert slid the paper back into the bag and looked over at Anne, who was indeed, standing confidently looking out at her kingdom from the highest tower. She turned to him abruptly, walked over to him and kissed him, mostly in gratitude, but a little bit to hide her overwhelming emotion. The emotion wasn’t hidden however, but just came out as one of the most passionate kisses Gilbert had received from her. An amount of time passed, somehow feeling like an eternity but not long enough at the same time. She tore her lips from him and buried her face in the crook of his neck, hugging him fiercely as he enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.

“So Anne, what do you think about your kingdom? Is it everything you’ve dreamed of?”

“It is so much more than I dreamed of,” she said quietly.

“Anne, your life became what you wrote. You wrote your way out of hell. It was perfectly described. Except for the flying lizard-horse, of course.”

She laughed. “Just as well. Did you read the rest of the story? Truth be told, Percy was a bit of a pissant who more than once accidentally foiled Cordelia’s plans of escape. Also, he was known to pull her braids on occasion.”

Gilbert rolled his eyes, “He was probably just trying to get her attention.”

“And in the story, I didn’t have you.”

“In the story you didn’t need me. You did everything on your own and you still have that ability Anne, you always will. You told me earlier to take credit for my accomplishments. I want you to do the same. I don’t take much visible pride in my accomplishments, and it’s not because I’m not proud of myself. I am. But you’ve achieved the same thing in so much less time in the face of real adversity. I don’t display much pride in myself because I am so much prouder of you than I am of myself. I know you don’t like talking about the past, and you don’t need to. But you don’t need to pretend you have the same story as everyone else either. You don’t need to hide it and pretend to be ‘normal,’ whatever normal is. God, Anne, look at you! Look what you’ve accomplished! Three years ago, you had less than nothing and now you are entering college at the top of your class, surrounded by friends and supported by the most loving family anyone could ever hope for. And it was all you. You are the reason you achieved all these things.”

“Well it wasn’t just me though…”

“Yes it was! It’s just like in your story. No one came to save you Anne. That was all just you. You fought for your place with the Cuthberts, you fought for your place in that school, you fought for acceptance in the community.” He paused to organize his thoughts and then continued, “You are nothing short of incredible. If you think anyone could have done what you’ve done, I would have to disagree with you because when I tell people about you they are all astonished by your success. On more than one occasion there have been people convinced that I made you up because they believe that no one could possibly achieve what you have in so little time. I wanted to bring you up here so you could embrace your freedom and see how far you’ve come. And I want you to know that you shouldn’t leave out part of your story just so you don’t make people around you uncomfortable or that you’re ashamed, because you have nothing of which to be ashamed. Just looking at you anyone can tell you’re a force to be reckoned with, but it’s your whole story that has made you so powerful, Anne. You relate to others in a way that most people can’t because you’ve been through so much. I think that being open about what you’ve been through will show others what is possible, like with your future students. You are so much more than the beautiful woman you appear to be and I think that when you use your history to connect with people, that is how you will so easily make a difference. That is how you’ll change the world.”

She took a moment to think about his words before asking quietly, “And how will you change the world, Gilbert Blythe?”

“I’ll do the same. And provide you with a life where you don’t need to worry about anything else, so you can focus on what’s important.”

“Wow,” she said looking up at him in disbelief. “You are… I can think of no words to describe you Gilbert, are you happy with yourself?”

“Exceedingly.”

“I love you so much. Thank you for today. And for every single day that you’ve loved me.”

“I love you too. And you’re welcome. Thank you for letting me love you.” He stopped and looked at her, “I know that look, what’s bothering you?”

“Your lips.”

“My lips?”

“Yeah, it’s bothering me that we have spent the entire day together and your lips have not been on mine nearly enough.”

He smirked at her, “Do you propose we do something about it?”

She shrugged, feigning disinterest and said, “Well, we might as well, you said you had no other plans, right?”

“Just this,” he said, as he gently cupped her cheek with his hand and leaned in to kiss her.

\---

The clouds had continued to move in as they passed the time at the top of the clock tower and despite good intentions, they had a very dark and somewhat frightening walk back down the tower. Dusk had nearly passed by now and the streets and parks were illuminated by lamplight. As they exited the tower, it started to sprinkle and just a few moments later it was as if a clap of thunder was the impetus that released the downpour. Gilbert grabbed Anne’s hand and they ran to the gazebo he had passed so many times that day walking through the park. They were soaked. Anne wrung out her hair and Gilbert shook his out with his fingers, sending droplets everywhere.

“Hey! Stop that!” she said as she attempted to dodge the spray.

“Oh, please, like it’ll make any difference,” he laughed and continued the action, chasing her around the gazebo. She laughed and led him on a chase, a couple times around before turning abruptly to face him. He scooped his arms around her waist and spun her in a circle to the sound of her delighted squeals and laughter.

“I’m sorry about getting us caught in the storm,” he said as he lowered her down. “Once again it is my fault you find yourself completely soaked, though thankfully, in a much less compromising situation this time. This was not a planned part of the day, so you can just ignore this bit and remember how perfect it was up to this point, yes?”

The smiled brightly up at him. “I will do no such thing,” she said and she pulled him down to her and kissed him. “This day has been better than perfect, and every moment that passes increases its perfection ten-fold. Why would I consider being here with you in a rainstorm anything less than perfection? The way I see it is that the universe saw what you did for me today and knew that it couldn’t be improved upon by any means a person could possess, so it decided to chip in and provide us with additional time alone in the middle of this very romantic and entirely unexpected rainstorm.”

“Okay then,” Gilbert smiled and nodded. “Let’s go with that.” As he leaned down to kiss her, Anne thought she heard a faint train whistle in the distance.

“Gilbert!” she said alarmed, “Was that the last train?”

“I’m not sure what you just heard, but the last train left a while ago,” he answered, unphased as he attempted again to lean in and kiss her.

“Gilbert Blythe what are we going to do? Marilla is going to kill me!”

“Anne, relax,” he laughed. “We’re staying at Aunt Jo’s tonight. I arranged it with Matthew and Marilla and everything is fine. For now, we can wait here and see if the storm lessens or we can just accept that we are wet and going to get more wet and walk back in the rain.”

“Let’s wait here for a bit. I’m not ready for the day to end yet and I’d love to just sit and listen to the wind and rain for a while.” The night had become truly stormy. She looked around for a bench to sit on, but the three available were wet from the rain blowing into the space. “I know we’re already wet, but if we’re going to stay here, I’d rather not continue to be rained on.”

“Agreed,” he said. “So we’ll sit in the middle. Here, sit facing out,” he placed her in position on the floor. “And I’ll sit here so you can relax,” he said, sitting behind her so they were leaning back against each other.

“Surprisingly comfortable considering how skinny you are,” she teased.

“You’re one to talk,” he shot back at her.

They were quiet for a minute until Anne felt Gilbert tense and his breathing increase.

“What’s wrong, Gil?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said after taking a deep breath. “There is something I would like to talk to you about though.”

“What is it?”

“That telegram from Emily this morning, regarding her previous offer? That was about… well, you, actually. I asked her and her husband and if we’d like to get married after you finish at Queens in a couple years, they said we could live with them while I finish school. Albert has promised that he would help you find a job in Toronto if you’d like to teach there.”

“Wow,” she said, truly surprised. “That’s quite generous of them, especially considering they don’t know either of us. How did you talk your way into that?”

“You act like you’re the only one who knows how to write,” he laughed. “Although I did have Miss Stacy as a character reference. As long as I prove to them that I’m responsible, it’s essentially guaranteed. And I know that it would be far from home, but it wouldn’t be forever. Do you think… is there any chance that would be a possibility, Anne?”

He couldn’t see her, but Anne was grinning broadly. She simply answered, “Yes, Gilbert.” He could hear her smile in her voice.

“Are you sure?” he asked, unable and unwilling to suppress the goofy grin that had taken over his own face.

He felt her nod and she answered him, “Absolutely.”

He let out the breath he was holding and whispered, “Thank you,” as he relaxed into her. “Oh wait, just one more thing, then I promise I’ll stop.”

She laughed, “You never need to stop Gilbert, in fact, I hope you don’t. I could listen to you forever.”

“I want to be very clear that I’m not telling you what to do here, this is just a suggestion.”

“And what do you suggest?”

“I suggest that you consider pursuing a four-year degree in Toronto.”

“Gilbert, I…”

“No, hear me out, Anne. You are an amazing writer, and I don’t think you realize the talent you have. Cole obviously showed me all your stories from the orphanage. You wrote those when you were essentially uneducated and they blew me away. And not just because they were yours, but because they were good. Amazingly good, and you were just a child when you wrote them. And obviously I’ve read plenty of your other work since then.”

“Gilbert-”

“No, wait. You always speak of how you want to make a difference, and while teaching will certainly be effective in that pursuit, I think you can do more. You have a gift, and I think you have the capacity to really make a difference through your writing. Whether that be through journalism or fiction, whatever, I just don’t want you to give up that gift. Even if nothing comes of it, just think about it, please, just consider it?”

Anne began laughing. Hard.

“What? I’m serious, I don’t see why you have to laugh at me.”

“May I please speak now and tell you that I agree with you?”

“Wait,” he said and he shifted to the side and moved back so he was sitting next to and facing her, “What?”

“Gilbert, when I talked to Cecilia today, I discussed the possibility of eventually going to the University in Toronto. Obviously, I know my scores are high enough already but I asked her about possible scholarships. She said they had a couple available that would provide two- or four-years’ worth of tuition at the university to the winner. Nothing is set in stone obviously, but Queens is attended mostly by students from Prince Edward Island, and I got the highest entrance exam score here, sorry, I **tied** for the highest entrance exam score, so I think I would at least have a chance in receiving one of the scholarships. And I do want to teach still, but there’s no reason I can’t do it all, is there?”

He smiled at her, not quite believing the words that just came out of her mouth. He put his hand on the back of her neck, pulled her to him and kissed her. “No reason whatsoever,” he said with his forehead leaning against hers.

“And you wouldn’t mind that I don’t stay home cleaning and cooking for you?” she joked as she leaned back on her hands.

He laughed, “I can’t even imagine you being confined to a house all day, even if you wanted to be. If I couldn’t keep up with it myself then we’d happily live in filth if it meant you were able to achieve your dreams, but I can do better than that. The Oaks have a housekeeper. We’ve got it made, Anne.”

“It seems we do,” she said, smiling brightly at him.

She pointed to his satchel that he had set on one of the benches. “You don’t have another mango in there, do you?” she asked.

“Actually no, I took them out so they wouldn’t get too banged up. Are you hungry?”

“A bit, just craving some dessert, I think. But that’s fine, I’ll just get something when we return.”

“Well, I do have something that might work,” he said. He stood and went to retrieve his bag and she followed him over to the bench. He pulled out an apple and chuckled to himself as he tossed it up in the air a couple times before holding it out to her. Even in the dim light she could see his infamous smirk.

“Do you want it? It’s real sweet.” He couldn’t say it without laughing.

“Very funny,” she said, remembering his multiple failed attempts to give her an apple the day they met. “Thank you, Gilbert.” She took it from him and took a big bite. “Goodness you really do have the best apples.”

“Be still my heart, the lady finally accepts my apple!” he said dramatically, falling down onto the bench. “And yes, I do, thank you for noticing.”

She gently kicked his foot and said, “Gilbert, I eat your apples all the time, what are you talking about?”

“You have never, ever eaten an apple that I’ve handed directly to you.”

“That can’t be true!” she laughed as she walked over to the gazebo entrance, leaning on the support and looking out at the rain as she enjoyed the fruit mixed with the smell of petrichor.

“Prove me wrong and I will concede, but I promise, since that first day, it’s been a personal challenge of mine to get you to eat an apple I hand you and I assure you that this is the first time I have succeeded. The most recent examples include me handing you an apple and you setting it down for later, with Jerry actually eating it. Other times the consumers were Diana, Ruby and Matthew. Hell Anne, I handed you one a few weeks ago and you fed it to Belle.”

She suddenly sounded a bit sad and said, “Well your over preparedness and patience with me has apparently, once again, **finally** , paid off.”

“You make it sound like you’re some great burden.”

“Am I not?” she asked quietly. “Think about all the time you spent waiting for me. Years.”

“So what? Three years is nothing. What else was I supposed to be doing, anyway? I would’ve waited fifty years for you Anne, or longer even and it would’ve been time well spent.”

“In a way though, aren’t you still waiting for me?”

“No, I’m not,” he said from behind her. “I’m done waiting.”

“Gilbert? Ask me,” she said decisively. “Ask me to marry you.” She turned around and found he was already down on one knee, waiting for her, of course.

He laughed, “Is there anything in particular you’d like me to say or would it be alright if I do this bit on my own?”

She laughed softly in surprise and challenged him, “Only if you think you can handle it. Just let me know if you need some help. You definitely don’t need to kneel though, aren’t we supposed to be equals?”

He smirked in defiance and instead of rising to meet her, he brought his right leg down to meet his left so he was on both knees before her. He reached into his pocket and took out a ring, it was dark but the jewel caught the glow of the lamplight and sparkled to proclaim its presence. She didn’t know what it looked like, but she didn’t care. It came from Gilbert and it was for her and that was all that mattered.

She shook her head in disbelief as her eyes teared up.

“I fully expect us to be equals, but you are in every way my superior and you will be treated as such for at least the next few moments, don’t you dare take this away from me.”

She nodded in approval.

“Anne, the only way I can properly express what you mean to me is by saying that you are everything. You are the epitome of humanity, from your empathy, kindness and intelligence to you passion, beauty and strength. Simply put: you are perfection and I am honored that you have deemed me worthy of your affection. You are the part of my future that I am most excited about and I look forward to continuing to show you how much I love you every single day of the rest of my life. I was very careful when first confessing my feelings for you to be clear that I wanted you, and not that I needed you. But that was a mistake, and the truth is that I absolutely do need you and I honestly couldn’t be happier about it. You are as essential to my survival as the air I breathe and you have been for a very, very long time. It is simultaneously the most terrifying and wonderful realization I have come to in my entire life. I have been dreaming of this nearly every minute of the last three months. No, years, honestly, I’ve been dreaming of this exact moment, here with you, for years, and I cannot believe that I have been given the opportunity to ask you this: Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, will you marry me?”

She fell to her knees to meet him, “Yes, Gilbert Blythe,” she said quietly, yet definitively, “I would love to marry you.”

He pulled her head to his and kissed her firmly before smiling wide and saying, “Thank you. Now will you please put this ring on your finger so I don’t lose it?”

He put the ring on her finger and she wrapped her arms around his neck whispering, “You said no more life changing events today,” in between kisses.

“Apparently I lied,” he said with a chuckle. “Sorry about that. I really wasn’t going to do it tonight, but something with the apple told me it was time. That and-”

“And me telling you it to do it, sorry.”

“That was just verification that the time was right and please don’t apologize. I always want you to speak your mind, especially if what you have to say may be unconventional. But I swear to you, as soon as you turned your back to me, I got down on the ground. I didn’t even think about it honestly, it was just… I knew it was the right time.” He hugged her tightly to him and whispered, “I can’t believe I get to marry you in two years. I didn't know I could be this happy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with a hint of a tease in her voice, “Did I forget to mention? I received homework today so I can get a head start on the year. Cecilia said that she thinks it quite possible that given my intelligence and proper dedication I can complete the teaching certificate in a year. So that means-”

“One year?” he interrupted her, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “I get to marry you in one year?”

“Oh Gilbert, here I thought you were supposed to be good at math. You told me your school year ends on the fifteenth of May. Cecilia said I should expect to be done by the twenty-second to accommodate the extra workload.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Gilbert, if you agree, we can get married in nine months. I was thinking in the orchard, under the blossoms? That way your father and Mary will be near.”

He had no response for her, no verbal response anyway. The passion with which he kissed her and the tears of joy streaming down his face spoke for him, clearly indicating that this was undoubtedly the happiest he’d ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Just kidding. 
> 
> Probably only a chapter or two left to wrap things up though.
> 
> I hope you all are okay that there was a proposal. I know they are young, but they have it worked out to suit their goals and he was ready to propose to Winifred on the show and he didn't even love her. This is ANNE we're talking about here and we should all just be proud of him for holding off on it this long.
> 
> Also, it is very hard to write a proposal.


	18. Celebration and Parting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert share news of their engagement with loved ones and they part ways for college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for you patience. This is yet another chapter that didn't really go where I thought it would and got heavier than I intended as well. Just a warning that they discuss the abuse Anne endured at the Hammond's.

The sky had cleared in the hour they spent in the gazebo and now the stars and moon shone brightly above. They might have stayed in the gazebo all night, but the constable on patrol thought otherwise. Gilbert and Anne both learned two things that night. One: That city parks were closed after sundown. Two: That if a couple intended on engaging in such libidinous behavior, they might consider finding an appropriate venue. The constable suggested Gilbert take the loose, though admittedly beautiful, woman back to the brothel at which he found her. They got up quickly and walked away holding hands and stifling their laughter.

“Did you hear that? He thought I was beautiful!”

“And it didn’t bother you that he thought you were a prostitute?” Gilbert asked through his laughter.

She laughed at the thought, remembering that a similar thing had once happened to Miss Stacy. “I suppose that ought to bother me, but really, it doesn’t. I doubt very much he will go about advertising my services and I suspect with this lighting he didn’t even get a very good look at me.”

“I’m so sorry Anne, I shouldn’t have risked putting you in a compromising position like that, especially since you will be living here next year.”

“You put me in no position that I didn’t want to be put in and I do not accept your apology. We were hardly doing anything that indecent. I fail to see how enthusiastic kissing should be cause for alarm.”

“If you looked in a mirror you would definitely be able to see cause for alarm. And I can only assume I look a bit disheveled as well.”

“We got caught in the rain, what would you expect?”

Gilbert laughed. “Anne,” he said as he stopped and looked at her, “You look positively ill-kempt, if you don’t mind me saying. Your skirt is disheveled and filthy from being wet and sitting on the floor, good lord it’s not even sitting straight across your waist. Your blouse could be considered askew at best. It’s nearly entirely untucked and,” he spun her slightly looking at the side of her lower back, “Yeah, you can definitely see the marks where my fingertips stretched the fabric from holding onto you, and your hair…” he said as he brushed a piece of hair out of her face and raised her chin up so he could kiss her, “I’m sorry, but your hair is utterly destroyed.”

“So, the constable thinks I’m pretty, Mr. Blythe, but you find me less so apparently?” she challenged him.

“On the contrary, Miss Cuthbert,” he whispered in her ear, “I’ve never thought you more beautiful, especially since I know I’m the reason you look like this. But there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what we were doing.”

“Well,” she said as she put his arm around her shoulders and placed her own across his lower back and began walking, “Then, good thing it’s dark out.”

“Apparently not dark enough,” he sighed, not too pleased with the constable’s interruption of their evening.

She laughed softly in agreement. They walked back quietly, simply basking in the new statues of their relationship, utterly content in every imaginable way. There was a verse they had recently heard in church: ‘Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.’ They knew their future would not be without pain and longing, but that was not worth dwelling on this evening. Tonight was a night to enjoy. When they returned to Aunt Josephine’s, they gratefully found that the door had been left unlocked for them and snuck in without having to ring the bell, avoiding being seen in their disheveled state.

\---

They each went to change, since they were both still quite wet from the rain and growing more uncomfortable by the minute. They agreed to meet outside Cole’s room when they were finished. Gilbert had brought some clothes to Aunt Jo’s last time he was in town in preparation for this stay and he was waiting outside Cole’s room about five minutes later.

Aunt Jo had arranged for Anne to be provided with clothing. Anne entered her room, took off her blouse and skirt and struggled for about ten minutes trying to get out of her wet corset that Marilla apparently expertly tightened. Last time she wore one it had loosened slightly throughout the day, which was a good thing because she had ended up wearing it for nearly 24 hours. But this time, it felt as though it had gotten tighter. She finally broke free of the cage, threw it on the ground and kicked it across the floor. She laughed when it hit the changing screen, causing it to wobble. _Nothing beats a redhead for a temper,_ she thought. She felt she had grown so much over the past few months, but apparently some things would never change and she found comfort in that. Gilbert had done her so much good, but while he had helped her mature and fight off the insecurities and demons that plagued her, she was still the same Anne, and she always would be. It made her heart melt to know that he wanted her just as she was, quirks and flaws and all, forever.

She walked over to her bed where there were new drawers, a chemise, clothes for the morning and a nightgown. _An actual woman’s nightgown._ She gasped at the sight. She eagerly put it on. At her neck was a slit that ran clear down to her breasts and she gasped at the realization, tugging the sides together tightly to close the gap. She quickly located two sets of ties, one halfway up and one at the base of her neck and tied them tightly. The nightgown was a little more form fitting than what she was used to for sleeping, but it certainly covered her well enough and the powder blue color was just lovely. She had never seen a nightgown that wasn’t white, and somehow this made her feel even more regal than the clothes Aunt Jo had already given her.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but she definitely looked like a woman. So much so in fact, that for a moment she didn’t recognize herself. The person in the mirror was beautiful, she truly believed that; wild hair and all. She was unique as ever, that could not be denied, but she could finally see beauty and sighed in relief.

She picked up her brush and got to work. _Utterly destroyed, isn’t that what he said?_ He was right, and her heart started beating faster when she remembered the passion with which he acted that caused her hair to be in such a state. She brushed it out and left it down so it would continue drying, then left her room to meet Gilbert.

She ran to him at the end of the hall and he caught her in a tight embrace and kissed her.

“I expect he’s already asleep,” she said as he placed her back on the floor, “So I’m just gong to run in there and jump on him to wake him up.”

“Excuse me?” Gilbert asked, perplexed.

“I’m going to jump on him,” she said plainly.

“Anne, you’re not jumping on a man in bed unless that man is me. You can’t be serious! I know you’re close, but that is absolutely ridiculous!”

“You can’t tell me what to do!”

“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m telling you what not to do,” he answered smugly.

“It’s different with Cole!” Anne exclaimed.

“He’s a man, is he not?”

“Just trust me,” she tried to brush him off.

“I do! But jumping on a man, in bed, looking like that?”

“Gilbert!” they heard Cole yell from the bedroom. “I don’t like women! Now shut the hell up and either get your asses in here or let me sleep.”

Anne raised her eyebrows at him as if to say, ‘I told you so’ and haughtily opened the door. He had the decency to smile sheepishly in apology before following after her. He was momentarily surprised at the revelation, but so much clicked into place with this information that he moved past it rather quickly.

Anne switched on the electric light, ran across the bedroom and threw herself on Cole as Gilbert followed calmly behind, smiling widely as he watched her antics. Anne displayed her hand to Cole by way of announcing their engagement and Cole sat up and hugged her as tightly as he could, tears of joy appearing instantly in his eyes.

“Your fiancé is a liar, Anne. He said he wasn’t proposing tonight.”

“My fiancé is a magnificent man who waited until the exact right moment to ask and I couldn’t be happier that he lied.”

Maintaining the hug, he removed his right arm and offered his hand to Gilbert and said, “Congratulations, liar.”

He laughed and shook his hand. “Thanks Cole. I wasn’t lying though. Had I been lying you would have seen right through me and you know it.”

“True enough,” Cole admitted and laughed. He released her and took Anne’s hand to look at her ring. “It’s beautiful. And it suits you so well.”

Anne looked at her hand, “Goodness, Gilbert, it really is. And I love the emerald, truly. I’m so glad that it isn’t something boring like a diamond. I’ll never understand why they cost so much when it’s just looks like a bit of fancy glass. And gold! Oh my goodness I can’t believe I’m wearing something made out of gold.”

Cole laughed, “You’re acting like you haven’t seen it, did this just happen?”

“No, it was probably a couple hours ago now, but I haven’t had a chance to look at it and I guess that it doesn’t really matter what it looks like, only what it means. But it was dark outside and then we were kissing, and then we got kicked out of the park and then I got trapped in my corset and then I was dealing with this nightgown and I wanted to get down here to tell you and it was taking forever and I didn’t even think about it until now.”

Cole laughed, not the least bit surprised. “So,” he began, “Care to tell me the whole story or are you going to leave me to imagine why you got kicked out of the park?”

“Your imagination would probably lead you relatively close to the truth,” Anne said as she settled in next to Cole at the head of the bed. Gilbert sat at the end facing them. Together they shared what they did that evening, enthusiastically telling the story while exchanging loving looks at each other.

“So, then I told her to put on the ring before I lost it and she did and then we stayed for a while until the constable told us we had to leave.”

“He told us to take our libidinous behavior to a proper establishment, if I’m not mistaken,” Anne admitted, laughing.

“Ah, Avonlea’s brightest, debauching the streets of Charlottetown, I’m so proud of you two. I’m almost mad that you were interrupted when you were, who knows what you would have gotten up to,” he teased. “So, are you waiting until Gilbert is done with school then, as expected? When is the actual wedding going to be?”

Gilbert and Anne smiled at each other from opposite ends of the bed.

“Cole,” Anne began, “I need to catch you up on a few things. Rachel Lynde secretly took it upon herself to make me a wedding gown. Gilbert discovered it the other day and it is already nearly complete. It is the most amazing gown I have ever seen; you are going to absolutely love it.”

Gilbert nodded in affirmation and added, “It’s absolutely stunning.”

“Wow, Rachel, really? Seems a bit hasty,” Cole mused.

“Also, um, today Gilbert arranged for me to meet my future advisor at Queen’s. Her name is Cecilia Anne Marie Huntington. She was actually my mother’s best friend, and I was named after her. My name is apparently Anne Marie Shirley, if you can believe that.”

Cole’s eyes nearly burst out of his head and his mouth fell open.

“Yes, shocking indeed, I will tell you more about her another time, everything, I swear, but the gist of it is that given proper dedication I should be able to complete my teaching certificate in one year instead of two. Not only that, but this year I’m going to try to win one of the scholarships they offer to the university, and then join Gilbert in Toronto where I’m going to get a bachelor’s degree. Gilbert had the foresight to inquire with the couple he is renting a room from and they have enthusiastically offered Gilbert lodging for both him and his… wife… me… whenever the need arises.” She shook her head in disbelief. _This is actually happening._ She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued, “If our families agree, we will be getting married in the end of May.”

Cole remained in stunned silence as the couple awaited his response. After a few moments he simply whispered, “Holy shit.”

They both laughed at his response and Anne said, “I know.”

Cole eyed Gilbert mischievously, “I mean I knew you were eager to get her into bed, but really?”

“Cole!” Anne hit him in the arm and Gilbert kicked his blanket-covered legs.

“That’s not why I’m marrying her!” he defended himself.

Cole looked at him with raised eyebrows and awaited the truth.

“Fine,” he admitted, “That’s not the **main** reason I’m marrying her.”

“That’s better,” Cole said, “Now leave me alone, I’m tired and I’m sure you two don’t want to spend anymore of your engagement night with me.”

\---

They didn’t even pretend that they weren’t going to spend the night together. After sneaking quietly from Cole’s room to hers, they entered and Anne shut the door as quietly as possible before getting slammed into it by the force of Gilbert’s kiss. They stayed there for a few minutes until Anne slid down the door, escaping him. She laughed and pulled him across the room.

Anne fell back on her bed and he stopped to look down at her. The lights weren’t on but the curtains were drawn and the moonlight was streaming through the windows. Her eyes were sparkling up at him and her hair was fanned out around her, radiating warmth even in the dim light.

“Wow,” he said, sounding as though he were caught off guard. “You are so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He fell gracefully on top of her, kissed her slowly and said, “I know you were tired hours ago and it probably hasn’t improved, but would it be okay if I kiss my fiancée for a few minutes? I promise I won’t do anything that you’d have to worry about hiding in the morning,” he joked.

“I’m not so tired anymore,” she admitted. “And I’m fairly certain this nightgown was created to accommodate such affectionate behavior,” she teased as she untied the string at the base of her neck.

\---

Gilbert felt as though he had just drifted off to sleep when the sound of Anne crying woke him up.

“Anne, what’s wrong?” he asked quietly and she didn’t answer. He asked a few more times only to discover that she wasn’t awake. The sobbing intensified and she was soon muttering in her sleep. He could make out that she was begging for someone to stop hurting her and pleading for food.

“Anne,” he said firmly, “Wake up.”

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him and smiled, “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“Yes. Something is definitely wrong; you were just sobbing in your sleep,” he explained, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “What were you dreaming about?”

She sat up slowly and brought her knees up under her arms and explained, “I honestly don’t know, and I’m glad I don’t. I still have nightmares about my previous life sometimes. I generally don’t remember what I dream about, but Marilla has mentioned it. When it wakes her she says she usually just comes into my room and hugs me until I calm down. I’m sorry to have woken you. In retrospect, I should probably have warned you about that.”

“I’m not upset that you woke me up, I’m upset at what I heard.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I obviously remember the story you told me about the Hammonds, but were you really… punished… so regularly? And why?”

“Yes. Do you really want to hear about this right now?” she asked. “You know I don’t like talking about this, but I will tell you if you need to know.”

“I don’t **need** to know any of it, I just want to be able to help you in any way that I can. And I think that I’d be able to help you best if I knew what I was dealing with, or rather what you are dealing with.”

She took a deep breath. “There didn’t need to be a reason, Gilbert. Usually it was because I couldn’t do five things at once. Common punishments were various forms of beatings and withholding of food. If it was cold out, they’d send me outside for a while.”

She saw his face and reassured him, “Don’t worry, I built a small shelter and learned how to strike a fire. Eventually I stole some matches and kept them with me just in case. It was fine. I received all these punishments fairly regularly. When I wasn’t disappointing them with my inefficiency, I was lost in my imagination which was almost a greater offense to them, even if I was completing what was required of me. But I figured out how to cope. Like I said, I built a small shelter, I learned how to sneak food away from the table and how to ration it out in situations where they decided not to feed me. I didn’t do that often though because I found that when I fainted, they were quicker to let me eat, understanding that I couldn’t do anything for them if I couldn’t even stand. As far as the physical abuse went, I can’t say I ever got used to getting slapped across the face, but as for my back, the scar tissue built up over time and in a way, I guess I kind of got used to it, or at least I learned how to get through it. And thankfully there was never any infection. I’ve never admitted this aloud, but it was quite satisfying that Mr. Hammond died when he did. Seemed to me the universe was finally on my side, if only for a moment, although I suppose I was still held responsible for it. Mrs. Hammond slapped my face raw that night and saw fit to wake me with the searing end of the fire poker before returning me to the orphanage the next morning.”

She sat up and turned on the bedside light. She faced away from Gilbert, wrapped a blanket around her waist, took another deep breath and brought her nightgown up to reveal her back, the bulk of the fabric resting on her shoulders then falling to her front, concealing her chest.

He quickly reached out to turn on his light as well and when he looked back at her he reflexively shut his eyes tight at the sight before him, nearly wincing in pain himself from imagining the pain she had suffered. He gained his composure, thankful that she didn’t see him and forced himself to look at her. If she could endure the abuse, he could endure the sight of it. Sebastian had mentioned the long, thin scaring that Marilla had noticed when Anne’s hair had been short, but he doubted that anyone could have possibly seen the extent of her injuries, or he would have heard about it. There actually wasn’t much scarring on her upper back in comparison with the middle and lower areas that were nearly completely covered. It was apparent that some wounds didn’t heal before breaking open again with how the scars ran together.

The scarring on her small frame was incongruent with the grand elegance and opulence of the room. If the knowledge of her abuse hadn’t made him sick to his stomach, he would have been fascinated by the idea that this one image of her painted such a complete portrait of her life, showing what she had survived and how far she had come. He reached out and gently stroked the scars, his fingers touching her skin so lightly that she shivered.

“I’ve never been able to see the extent of the damage but going by your silence and knowing what was done to me I assume it’s a terrible sight. I can feel the bumps well enough and that alone surely isn’t pleasant. And here,” she said, moving the nightgown off her side and turning back slightly to him, revealing just a bit of her stomach, “Here is where she prodded me that morning I left. She then of course hit me again when my screaming woke her children. Because somehow that was my fault.”

She was quiet as she allowed him to examine her. He leaned over to see the penny-sized scar and lightly brushed his thumb over it. She flinched slightly and turned her head away at his close examination of her. He kissed the burn mark and returned to examine her back and she kept her head down. She wasn’t embarrassed, this time they were spending together was just completely surreal. Little Anne Shirley, homely orphan, was sitting half dressed in bed, in a mansion, willingly displaying her most painful memories to someone who loved her. All of her. The fact that this person was Gilbert Blythe was nearly unbelievable. She wondered if in this moment he was looking at her as his fiancée or as a patient. She glanced at his face over her shoulder and couldn’t place his expression, which she found surprising because there were times she felt she knew him better than she knew herself.

“You’re the only person who has seen me like this. Obviously. Is it as grotesque as I imagine it to be?”

“It’s grotesque that someone would do this to another human being, and a child at that, but no, you are not grotesque. You are anything but.” His voice was a bit detached, like his mind wasn’t quite where his words were and she figured out his expression. It was contained rage. She thought she had seen Gilbert mad before, but she had not seen him like this. His anger at her, or rather at their misunderstandings and miscommunication had never resulted in the pure fury she could now see him struggling to control.

“I’m not vindictive, Gil, you know that, but if that woman’s evil nature hasn’t yet killed her, I hope that she somehow hears of my success. And the orphanage. I want them all to know that in the end they didn’t beat me. Not where it mattered.”

“They’ll know. I promise,” he said softly. And she believed him. She had never heard such veiled wrath in his voice before. “Your answer to this question will in no way affect how I feel about you or alter my intention of marrying you. Nothing will change that, do you understand?”

“I wasn’t raped, Gilbert,” she said bluntly, reading his mind. “No one has touched me that way. The Hammonds were monsters, but not like that. I was lucky.”

“That’s a very skewed perception of luck, but yes, I suppose in a way you were. Are you in pain ever?”

“No. It doesn’t bother me, not physically. Once in a while I’ll scratch an itch and notice the bumps, or obviously I notice it when I’m bathing, but most of the time I’m able to forget that the scars are there.”

A realization dawned on him. He pulled her nightgown down and turned her to face him, “Have I ever hurt you? Even Ruby pointed out that I tend to grab onto your waist rather tightly. Have I ever caused you any pain? Or does it bother you at all? Does anything I do bother you even in the slightest?”

She laid back down, looking up at him and said, “You’ve never hurt me Gilbert and I know you never would. You only ever touch me affectionately and honestly, it’s good that you do so firmly because then I can feel you. There are places I don’t have much feeling in my back, and I appreciate being able to feel how passionate you are. If it ever were to be an issue, you know that I’d tell you.”

He turned off his light and reached over her to turn hers off as well. He lay down next to her and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head.

“I don’t know what to say Anne. I want to change it all, but I can’t and it’s killing me. There’s nothing I can do about your past, but I hope you know that I am going to do everything possible to make sure that our future is the exact opposite of your childhood. I will never silence you, you will never be hungry and I will never lay a hand on you unless it is done so affectionately. And if some day you want to have children, they will never know an ounce of the pain you experienced, I promise.”

“I know,” she responded softly.

He held her tightly, rubbing her back as she drifted off to sleep, and then allowed himself to cry, grieving for her lost childhood, angry with himself for not previously understanding the extent of the damage and with the pure helplessness he felt with his inability to change anything that had been done to her.

“Gilbert Blythe,” she said softly, “Don’t waste your tears on my past. It’s not worth another thought. You, Matthew, Marilla, Diana, all of you have already done more than enough to make up for it in the present and future. I’m fine."

\---

Gilbert woke early, went back to his room to clean up and change for the day and then returned to Anne who was still sleeping soundly, a perfect image of peace as if the revelations of the night had been imagined. She asked him not to dwell on it, so he wasn’t going to. She was right, nothing could be done about the past. His place in her life was in the present and future and he would ensure her happiness. He stopped at the door, leaned back against it and just stared at her for a minute, trying to memorize every detail. He wondered how his mind would alter the memory of her over the coming months- if her hair would grow brighter or if her freckles would fade with time. He hoped not and considered asking Cole to draw a portrait of her for him.

He walked over to her, kissed her cheek and stroked her hair.

“Carrots, wake up,” he whispered. “We need to go down to breakfast.”

She yawned and stretched. “And why exactly would I want to do that? I find myself in exquisite comfort and you’re here. I see absolutely no point in rising.”

“I think that Aunt Josephine is going to want to hear about your day yesterday, or did you forget again what you now wear on your finger?”

Her eyes shot open and she looked at her hand and said, “It wasn’t a dream…”

“Well, it kind of is, but no, this is real,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss her.

“I’ll just need a few minutes to dress, I’ll be right out.”

He kissed her again and then left to wait outside her room.

Anne dressed in the clothes Aunt Jo had left for her, not that she had a choice in the matter since the clothes she wore the previous day were in dire need of a wash. She looked upon the outfit trying not to be horrified. It was a simple cream blouse and a russet skirt. _Red, Aunt Jo? Really?_ She hated to sound ungrateful, even in her head. And really, it’s not that she was ungrateful, the clothes presented to her were again nicer than any she could hope to buy or make for herself. It’s just that the thought of wearing red made her skin crawl. She packed the corset, her nightgown and her clothes from yesterday away in a bag provided for her and put on the clothes. After lacing up her boots she turned toward the mirror with her eyes shut tight. She opened her left eye first to ease herself into it and then both her eyes shot fully open in surprise. This might be the happiest she had ever been to be proven wrong. She didn’t look bad at all, she didn’t think it would be her favorite outfit, but she looked warm and mature. She tried to come up with a word to describe herself. _Autumn,_ she concluded. _I look positively autumnal._ She brushed her hair and tied half of it back with a ribbon. It didn’t really complete the elegant look initiated by the clothing, but it would do. _If it’s bad enough, Cole will offer to fix it and if he doesn’t, that means it’s fine._

Gilbert escorted her down to breakfast where Anne ran over to Aunt Jo and showed her the ring, who nearly whooped in surprise and exhilaration as Cole watched with amusement. She called for Lottie and Rollings to join them at the table where Anne and Gilbert explained the full extent of yesterday’s activities, from meeting Winnifred to the engagement in the gazebo. Gilbert cut up a mango to share and everyone gasped upon learning about Cecilia. And there wasn’t a dry eye in the room after Anne reiterated her tragic tale. Gilbert came to the conclusion that Rollings must act so stoic to maintain an image because looking at him now, he was nearly a puddle of tears. He had never seen a man cry so hard at the words of another and for this reason he garnered further respect from Gilbert. He wasn’t used to seeing men so emotional, and he included himself in that, but seeing this giant man allow himself to experience such empathy brought him comfort.

Together they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast, enhanced by chocolate and champagne to celebrate the occasion. Aunt Jo of course offered her home for the wedding, but they graciously declined, truly wanting to be married in Avonlea, though they made sure to mention that all of them would be invited to the wedding.

\---

After breakfast they went to return the key to the clock tower to Mr. Miller. Gilbert knocked assertively on the door and it was opened in only a few seconds.

“Future Doctor Blythe!” greeted the jovial man.

“Good morning, Mr. Mil-”

“Quiet my boy, I demand you tell me at once who this exquisite creature is!” he said as he reached for Anne’s hand. “Surely this can’t be the girl of whom you spoke, for it is readily apparent that this one is far above you. My lady,” he bowed and kissed her hand lightly. “It is a pleasure to be in your presence,” he said as Anne giggled in response.

“The pleasure is mine, good sir,” she played along.

“Your eye is faultless,” Gilbert said after laughing at his theatrics, “Though fortunately for me, she disagrees with you. Mr. Miller, this is Miss Anne Shirley Cuthbert my… fiancée,” he said with a slight blush. That introduction would take some getting used to.

“Ah! So you did it! Good man! Congratulations to you both!” he said as he hugged them. “Oh, Miss Cuthbert, I know I tease, but you are marrying the very finest young man on the island.”

“Thank you, sir,” Anne said graciously, “I agree.”

“And Gilbert, I’m not sure what you’ve done to gain her favor but I assure you this is no time for complacency,” he said seriously. “Your job, the most important job you have from this day forward, every single day, until the day you die is to make her fall in love with you all over again. Every single day, you are to earn her love and devotion, do you hear me boy?”

“Yes, sir,” he said quietly, surprised at the conviction with which these words were spoken. Mr. Miller was a kind, warm and jolly man and the serious tone in which he delivered this advice was incongruent with the man Gilbert had come to know. Though it was because of this that he took it to heart, understanding at his core that this was indeed the most important job he would have.

“Oh! I have something for you! Come in, come in!” he said, the serious tone was suddenly gone and the merry man had returned. They entered into his small, comfortable home as Mr. Miller went to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle for them.

“Here,” he said handing it to Gilbert, “My Martha and I had intended to share this on our 40th wedding anniversary, but, well, she didn’t make it through the last winter.” His eyes glistened with pain, but he tried to move past it. “Now, Blythe here and Dr. Ward tell me I shouldn’t drink alcohol so this needs a new home and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to pass it along. And I can think of no better recipients! We got this on our wedding day back in 1860. We were going to drink it this coming January to celebrate our life together and the turn of the century. We were told the longer we let it age, the better it would be, just like our relationship. So, we set a date and stuck to it!

“The person who gave this to us meant well, but it wasn’t until after Martha passed that I realized he only offered us advice regarding wine consumption, not marriage. We were so young. Both of us were younger than you, Gilbert, when we wed. But this is the advice I wish we would have gotten, and I’m going to give it to you: Do **not** wait to enjoy this wine. Go home and drink it up with those you love. Relish it and make new memories to cherish. Do not wait to enjoy the sweet things in life or they could be taken from you before you get the opportunity. This wine might be the most amazing beverage on the planet, but I will never know now, will I? And honestly, I don’t want to. But do you know what? I have a feeling that had we enjoyed it together last year, ten years ago, hell, if we had ignored the man and enjoyed it the very next day, it would still have likely been wonderful and more importantly, we would have enjoyed it together. That in itself would have made it the best bottle of wine. Do you understand? It’s not the stuff. It’s the moments that matter.”

Anne threw herself on the stranger, her eyes welling with tears, and kissed his cheek, “You marvelous man, thank you so much.”

“Oh my!” he said in surprise, hugging her in return. “You sweet girl. Enjoy your beautiful life. Every single moment of it,” he whispered.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller, this is an incredibly generous gift, and we will heed your advice, I assure you,” Gilbert said. “Good-bye and thank you again, for everything.” He reached out and shook the man’s hand and was brought in for another hug.

“Heed my advice, Blythe. You treat this girl better than she deserves.”

“Always,” Gilbert answered certainly.

“And she deserves?”

“The very best.”

“The very best. Now go! Get on with your lives!”

\---

The train ride back was agonizingly slow. Both of them wanting nothing more than to share the news with their families as soon as possible. Upon arrival at Bright River they practically jumped out of the car and ran to get Gilbert’s horse from the attendant. They mounted him and galloped off to Green Gables. Midnight hadn’t even come to a halt yet when Anne started sliding down him and running across the yard into the house. She burst through the door and stumbled upon Marilla, Matthew and Jerry sitting down for lunch.

She stood there waiting for Gilbert, catching her breath, as they all stared at her expectantly.

“Yes, Anne?” Marilla led.

She tapped her foot in anticipation and leaned out the door to shout, “Gilbert John Blythe! Hurry up!”

He ran up the porch and into the house. She looked at him expectantly and he whispered, “It’s your family, go ahead.”

She whispered in response, “They love you just as much as they love me and you have always been a part of this family. You know that.”

“That’s not the point. You live here. You are a Cuthbert. Just tell them!” he whispered back at her. They continued on in front of her family, whispering back and forth.

“I didn’t think Jerry would be here too, is that weird that he’ll know before Diana? And Bash?”

“Well, Mr. Miller, Aunt Jo, Rollings, Lottie and Cole all knew before both of our families so I think we’re well past that oddity.”

Anne suddenly felt her hand in Jerry’s and he held it up in the air so the Cuthberts could see her ring.

“I’m not great with words like these two are supposed to be, but I think this might speak for itself?”

“Oh, Anne!” Marilla said as she jumped to her feet and ran over to hug and kiss her before crushing Gilbert in a hug so tight that it had him seeing stars. Matthew was close behind and actually picked Anne of the ground in his hug before turning to Gilbert with a look of pure pride and taking the young man into his arms. Jerry waited his turn, shook Gilbert’s hand in congratulations and then hugged Anne and kissed her cheek whispering, “I expect I will sing at the wedding, no?”

Anne laughed as she hugged him tightly and teased, “Try it and I will kill you with my bare hands.”

\---

After telling the Cuthberts that they would be back in an hour or two with Gilbert’s family, to share the events of the previous day, they were off to Gilbert’s house, though at a more leisurely pace so they could talk.

“Now Anne, what are we not going to do?”

“Barge into the house without a plan.”

“And what are we going to do?”

“Announce our engagement like adults, and not stand there whisper fighting in front of your family.”

“Very good. But actually, I say we walk in there and don’t say a thing. See how long it takes Bash to figure it out.”

“How on earth would he know? You didn’t even know you were going to ask me!”

“Well, he knew I was in love with you three days after meeting me and never having met you, so I think he can figure it out. Let’s just see what happens.”

They put Midnight away and walked leisurely, hand in hand to the house. They entered and asked Hazel if she knew where Bash was and they were directed to the living room where they found him and Miss Stacy sitting, reading and drinking tea. They both looked up at the arrival of the couple and Sebastian turned to Muriel, smiled wide and simply said, “Pay up, woman.”

She threw her book down and said in exasperation, “They haven’t even said anything! How could you possibly know that they are engaged?”

“Because Gilbert has that goofy smile he can’t hide plastered on that face of his and his eyebrows are up so high they are threatening to blow the roof off this house. Anne, show me your left hand please?”

Anne innocently held it out palm up and Sebastian rolled his eyes. She then flipped it over with a flourish to reveal the ring.

“My boy’s all grown up!” he yelled as he jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around Gilbert, lifting him clear off the ground as Gilbert laughed heartily in response. Muriel stood quickly as well and went over to embrace Anne, and then Gilbert. Sabastian picked up Anne in a similar manner and spun her around in delight.

“Muriel, you owe me fifty cents!”

“Fifty cents?! You bet fifty cents that we would come back engaged?” Gilbert asked in disbelief.

“I bet nothing; I knew I’d win. I simply made some extra money.”

“But how did you know? I had no intention of proposing yesterday.”

“Intention has nothing to do with it. Not when you’re in love. I had no intention of proposing to Mary drunk in a wash tub.”

“And Jonas had no intention of proposing to me after our carriage broke down in a rainstorm.”

“Exactly,” Sebastian said, pointing at her in agreement. “I just had a feeling it would happen. And that’s all I needed. Intuition is more important than intention when gauging the right time to do things. It’s what told you when the right time was to confess your feelings for Anne. Anne, it’s what told you it was the right time to accept your feelings toward Gilbert for what they are and learn to trust him. And it’s what told me to trust this white boy and come back to this frozen tundra full of white people and try to eke out a living.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Gilbert said reaching into his bag. “I got something for you.”

Gilbert handed Sebastian the best Mango of the bunch and watched as his friend started crying.

“Mama!” he yelled as he crossed the house to the kitchen. “Mama! Look what Blythe got us!”

“What is it?” Muriel asked. Gilbert got out another mango, peeled off some of the skin and handed it to her. “It’s a mango. I tried one in Trinidad and arranged for someone to bring me some on their way back this time around.”

She tried a bite and her eyes doubled in size, “Oh my goodness! This is remarkable! I hope you’re happy Gilbert, you’ve ruined me for appreciating your apples.”

“It’s worth it, isn’t it?”

“It definitely is,” she said as she took his knife and headed into the kitchen to join Sebastian and Hazel. Gilbert and Anne followed behind.

“God bless you Mr. Blythe!” Hazel said and went over to kiss his forehead. “How can I ever thank you for this treasure?”

“Stop calling me Mr. Blythe and we’ll call it even.”

“Very well Mr. Gilbert.”

“No!” he laughed at her teasing tone. “No mister! Just Gilbert or I’m taking the mango back!”

“Very well, Gilbert. And I hear congratulations are in order. You two will be very happy together, I can tell.”

“Thank you, and to that end you all need to come over to Green Gables so we can share the events of yesterday and our plans.”

“Very well then, run along! Spend the afternoon and I will have dinner ready on your return,” Hazel said joyfully.

“No, Hazel,” Gilbert said, “You’re coming too. Like it or not, you’re part of this strange family. Bash, round up Dellie, Anne please get some brandy from the cellar and I’ll hook up the carriage. We are all going to Green Gables to discuss what’s happening.”

“Actually, Miss Stacy, can you get the brandy? I’m going to run and get Diana. We’ll meet you back at Green Gables.”

\---

Anne sprinted to Diana’s house and pounded on the door until it was answered, the whole family staring back at her wondering what the ruckus was. Anne held out her hand to Diana who squealed in delight and Anne pulled her out the door.

“Goodness gracious what is happening? Where are you going?” Eliza asked.

“Anne and Gilbert are engaged! We’re going to celebrate!”

They ran off back to Green Gables and when they were halfway there, Anne stopped suddenly and groaned in frustration.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mrs. Lynde. We need to get Rachel,” she said reluctantly and she wished she hadn’t chosen to run everywhere. She was getting tired.

They showed up at her door, nearly gasping, and Anne displayed her hand again as a means of explanation and pulled Rachel out the door.

“Thomas! Come along! Anne and Gilbert are engaged!”

“Coming my dear!” he obeyed. “I’m right behind you!”

\---

Everyone settled in the living room and they had to pull in chairs from the dining room to accommodate everyone. Diana’s parents and Minnie May decided to come as well, and they had run into Ruby and Moody on there way over and had invited them along.

Anne marveled at the sight as she and Gilbert, two orphans who were supposedly the last and the only ones left of their families shared the events of the day with so many who loved them: their found families and their very best friends. The discovery of Cecelia left them all breathless except for Bash who playfully hit Gilbert’s arm and said, “Nice work, Blythe.”

Gilbert responded with a smug “Thank you.” He was proud of himself for all he had pulled off the previous day, and he wasn’t going to hide it.

Other parts of the day were met with approving nods and knowing smiles and the actual engagement made Diana, Ruby and Moody all laugh, having been witness to his first failed attempt to give her an apple.

“So when should we have the wedding?” Rachel asked. “Oh please, don’t you all look at me like that, I know you’re all thinking it, I’m just the only one bold enough to ask.”

“Some things have changed with our plans since connecting with the Oaks in Toronto and Mrs. Huntington yesterday,” Gilbert began. “I asked the Oaks and they said that whenever we decide to marry, Anne would be welcome to join me at their house.”

“And, I spoke with Mrs. Huntington. She said there were a couple scholarships offered at the end of each year to the University of Toronto and I’ve decided I’d like to get a bachelor’s degree in addition to my teaching certificate. And, she said that it would be a lot of work, but that she believed I could finish the certificate in one year instead of two. I already got some homework to get a head start and she said if needed I could get a bit of extra time at the end of the year.”

“So when are we having the wedding, dear?” Rachel asked again bluntly. “You’d think someone so smart could answer such a simple question.”

“Well, if it’s alright with our families-” Gilbert began.

“In May!” Anne practically shouted. “Gilbert Blythe and I are getting married in the orchard at the end of May!”

There were cheers and sounds of surprise in response as Sebastian sat there doing the math.

“Blythe,” he whispered, “That’s nine months-”

“Shut up, Bash. There’s no chance she’s pregnant. We’re not stupid.”

\---

The next couple weeks flew by, with packing, buying school supplies and squeezing in one last visit with everyone. Anne even tried on her wedding gown so Rachel could do her best to get it as far along as possible.

“Now, there is plenty of room for growth in the hips, but I’m going to leave the bust loose for now. I doubt you’re done growing and I wouldn’t want you to be, for lack of a better word, busting out of it on your wedding day.”

Anne turned crimson at the mention of her growing breasts. She tried to tell herself it wasn’t any concern of Rachel’s what her breasts did, but since she was creating the gown, it actually was. Anne wondered if she would have to send measurements back to Rachel every month so she could make sure everything was still on track to fit.

“We’ll just leave it as is and measure you when you return in the spring and I’ll finish it up then. It’ll be quick work.”

_No breast measurement letters then, that’s a relief._

\---

The Cuthberts and Gilbert all went to stay with Aunt Jo the day before Gilbert was due to depart so he could leave first thing in the morning. It was going to be a long day of travel for him. The evening before he left they tried to keep the mood light, but the air was thick with things they were choosing to ignore for the sake of sanity. Gilbert snuck into Anne’s room that night and found her crying.

“Please, Anne. Please don’t cry. It’ll be fine. We’ll both be so busy, we wouldn’t even have time to spend together even if we were in the same city. You know I will be thinking of you every moment of every day and counting down the days until I get to see you again. We will write. We have a plan, remember? It’s going to be hell, but it’s only temporary. We are getting married in nine months. That’s it. We been apart for nine months before. You can do anything for nine months. Anything. Nine months is nothing and then we will be together. Forever. And I know I’m rambling, but I assure you this talk is to convince you as much as it is to convince me.” He smiled at the sound of her soft laughter.

There was a soft knock at the door and Cole appeared.

“Anne, I have a gift for you,” Cole said tentatively, sneaking into her room. It’s the picture I drew of you and Gilbert the night you got engaged. And Gilbert said he wrote a poem about you that you liked, so I included that as well.”

She looked down at the canvas and saw herself sleeping peacefully in Gilbert’s arms, both of them sprawled along the left side of the canvas. On the right was the entire poem Gilbert had written for her the first time they had been parted.

 _I miss you in a way that does not make sense,  
_ _For somehow you have become more to me than I can comprehend.  
_ _You have become my world,  
_ _Though I am less to you than a passing thought._

_I’ve tried to go home, but I convinced myself I’m not yet ready.  
The truth: I don’t know where home is._

_If ever a day comes and I’m seeking home, you will be my guide.  
Your eyes a compass for my soul;  
__your hair of fire- a torch, lighting my way and warming my nights._  
From your lips, a siren’s call I am desperate to succumb to.  
We will travel the world together, and because of that, I will always be home.

 _You are everything, and someday I will tell you.  
_ _When I’m strong enough to admit it to myself, you will know._

 _One day you will know that you are what makes life worth living.  
_ _One day you will know that I think you the epitome of humanity._  
_One day you will know that I’ve loved you, and you alone, since our beginning.  
_ _One day you will discover I am uncompromising in my intent to love you until the day I die._

Anne clutched it to her chest and continued crying.

“And here Gilbert, it isn’t much, but hopefully it’s enough.”

He looked at the portrait Cole had created of Anne and whispered, “It’s perfect,” and then hugged him tightly in gratitude.

\---

On the train platform the next day, she held onto him as hard as she could and whispered in his ear, “I want more than anything to ask you to stay, but my greatest fear is that you’ll say yes.”

He laughed softly and answered, “I would absolutely say yes, and I wouldn’t even be upset about it until I saw the disappointment in your eyes knowing that I didn’t pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. I need to go for us. For you. I need to become the very best version of myself for you. We talked about this, Anne, if I don’t go…”

“If you don’t go, then you’re not the person I fell in love with,” she said, her voice shuddering.

“I need you to not cry until I leave. Please. I can’t bear for the last image I see of you to be the pain I’m causing you by leaving.”

“And I assume you’re not letting yourself feel anything?”

“If I think about what is happening, I will collapse,” he whispered into her ear before kissing her passionately. “I will see you in four months. That’s nothing.”

“We’ve only been together for four months, Gil. It’s everything.”

“You’re killing me, Carrots,” he said as his eyes welled with tears.

“I love you Gilbert John Blythe. Don’t forget me.”

“I love you too, Anne Shirley Cuthbert. Not possible.”

The train whistle blew, announcing its imminent departure and Gilbert kissed her again, gave her one last hug and left to board the train, not allowing himself to look back, fearing that he wouldn’t board if he saw her. He took his seat and chanced one more look at her and she played her part the best she could, smiling brightly back at him, hiding her sorrow until the train was out of sight. Matthew and Marilla were by her side as soon as the train left and she collapsed into Matthew, finally allowing her tears to fall.

On the train, Gilbert took out a book and began studying, trying to ignore the agony he felt in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, that made me cry. Could be that I'm just tired, but who knows. One more chapter to go, and there will be a bit of a time jump, but I will NOT be including their wedding. I hope that's not too disappointing.


	19. Reunited (And it Feels so Good)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An overview of their year apart and much anticipated reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks. The end of 'Here is Happiness.' 
> 
> Thank you to every single one of you who have stuck with this story and the preceding stories in this series, I know it's become a bit of an epic. When I started with 'Here is the Efflux of the Soul' I had absolutely no intention of going any further, I only wanted to 'fix' what happened after the dance rehearsal. But here we are, 177,199 words later. Holy shit, that's a lot. Knowing that there are so many of you who have found reading this worth your time, I am truly honored and flattered. 
> 
> I hope that you've enjoyed this version of Anne and Gilbert's story and I hope that I was able to make you laugh, or at least bring some good feelings into your life. Much of the world is a shit show right now and I know I've welcomed the distraction that writing has provided. It has been so much fun to write this story and I've enjoyed all your comments and encouragement immensely. Please feel free to share what you think of the story: what you liked, what you didn't like, what made you laugh, cry, whatever. I'm always looking to improve my writing and I would love to hear your thoughts!

The school year was as hard as they assumed it would be, both in regard to the work required of them and the pain of being apart from each other. They made a plan to alternate sending letters every other week, so they would each write and receive one letter a month. Of course, they had wanted to do more, but they forced themselves to keep it realistic with the price of postage and assuming they would have very little time to sit down and write to each other, no matter how much they may want to. School kept them each very busy so they both carried around the letters they were working on with them, jotting down each and every thought they wanted to share with the other and then when they received a letter, they answered any questions it contained and sent it off as planned with their schedule.

Completing two years’ worth of curriculum in one year would have been a challenge for anyone, and if Anne weren’t attempting to earn a scholarship at the same time, it might have been easier, but with the situation being what it was, the course load and the high expectations she had for herself pushed her to her limits. At times she was convinced she wouldn’t succeed, the task appearing insurmountable, but Cecilia, Winifred and Cole were there to encourage her and support her when she was being too hard on herself and failing to see how wonderfully she was actually doing. Diana and all the other girls from Avonlea were supportive as well, but they had their own work to deal with and she didn’t want to burden them with a choice she made willingly. She was the one who decided to do this; the others didn’t need to hear her complain about it.

Anne was hard on herself but looking at her from an outsider’s perspective she appeared to be nothing less than an unflappable, passionate genius. She looked unstoppable and from the second month on, everyone was all but convinced she would earn the Avery scholarship.

Her friends all encouraged her to enjoy herself as much as she could and she did find time to have fun with the girls and Cole, Winnie, Prissy, Phillipa and Priscilla but at the end of the night she often found herself upset, either missing Gilbert or thinking that she should have stayed home and gotten some work done.

Gilbert had been right, and Anne attracted quite a lot of male attention, though the engagement ring did seem to divert some of the attention. Anne was kind to those who expressed interest in her, but direct and clear with every man who approached her that she was very happily engaged. If the interested party wanted her friendship, she granted it, but she was clear that it would never be anything more than that. There were three who were relentless in their pursuit of her, but it was easy enough to not be caught alone with them and she never gave them any reason to hope she would change her mind.

Gilbert excelled in school, doing even better than he thought he would. This was due largely to the fact that he was not spending each class staring at Anne and he used studying as a distraction. When he would start longing for her, which was nearly all the time, he would force himself to study. This proved to be a more effective strategy in some subjects than others, human anatomy, for example, only made him yearn for her more. When it became too much, he would go back to chemistry or physics; subjects that were absolutely devoid of emotion, even for him who actually found them quite enjoyable. He made some friends at school who he would go out with from time to time, and he became very close to the Oaks as well, but his diligence was unwavering, and he first and foremost remained focused on doing well in school.

There were a few girls at school who had shown interest in him as well and while he always worked the fact that he was engaged into conversations with those who were acting a little too flirty for his taste, there was one woman who would seemingly not be deterred. He made a point to not arrive early to the classes he shared with her so he wouldn’t have to sit next to her. When he arrived before her, she always found him and sat near him even though he did nothing to encourage her behavior. In a letter, Anne suggested that he needed to make a more concerted effort to discourage her, even though she new it was hard for Gilbert to be rude. After class one day, he stayed to talk to her. He had spoken to his professor, who happened to be a woman, before class and asked if she could stay until the conversation was over so neither of them would gain any sort of reputation from being alone together.

He began without preamble, “Miss Stuart, what do you hope to gain from this behavior of yours? I know you aren’t a loose woman. The only person receiving your supposedly affectionate advances is me, even though I have made it abundantly clear that I am engaged. And not only engaged but very much in love with my fiancée. Your actions toward me are unwelcome and disrespectful. I have been in love with Anne for years and my attention will not be turned away from her.”

“But she’s so far away, how do you know she remains faithful to you?” she said coyly.

“Because I trust her. You might be surprised to find that I’m not even mad that you would suggest it because I honestly do not care a thing about what you think and you’re willingness to assume such a thing is completely on point with what I’ve seen of your character. I try to be respectful of everyone, I really do, but I expect the same in return and you have shown me nothing but disrespect since the moment I mentioned I was engaged. You will never gain my affection. I was willing to offer you friendship, but it should be abundantly clear that that offer is rescinded. Please don’t speak to me again,” he said as he picked up his bag and began to leave.

“You can’t trust redheads, didn’t you know?” she called after him. “I bet she’s back on that island of yours going out with every man that shows a hint of interest.”

Gilbert laughed darkly, “It is astonishing to me that you still don’t get this: I do not care what you think. Why on earth would I listen to a word you have to say? You don’t know me and you certainly don’t know her. But I assure you, she excels in every area you find yourself lacking. Most notably in dignity. She’ll be here with us next year though, so I’ll be sure to pass along your thoughts regarding her hair. She’s heard it all, you know. She was an orphan at an asylum most of her life. Did you know that? All her formal education was done in essentially three years, and she tied with me for the highest score on the island. She’s putting herself through hell this year, completing her teaching certificate in one year instead of two, just so we can get married in May and then she can join me here. She’s going to study either journalism or English. You’re an English major, aren’t you? I’m sure you’ll see her around; she tends to make her presence known."

He turned to leave again and turned back laughing, “Oh and Miss Stuart, she is kind to a fault, but I recommend you not get on her bad side. She tends to hold a grudge. I’ve been there and her wrath is, well let’s just say it leaves an impression.”

“Are you really threatening me with the arrival of your fiancée?” she asked indignantly.

“Absolutely I am,” he said seriously. “And it's wife. When Anne arrives here next year, she will be my wife, make no mistake about that. I very much look forward to not interacting with you again, Miss Stuart.”

He went home that trying day and found a letter from Moody and Charlie.

_Gilbert,_

_Just wanted to let you know that there are a few guys chasing after Anne. She hasn’t done anything to encourage them, but we thought you should know. Like you said, the ring isn’t seeming to be a deterrent to everyone, just the nice ones. We’ll let you know if there is cause for concern._

_Moody and Charlie_

He was not in the mood for this and penned a quick letter back to them.

_Idiots,_

_I know all about Roy, James and William. She’s told me about them and asked advice regarding them. I don’t know what has happened at Queens that suddenly you think Anne can’t take care of herself, but I assure you she is capable as ever. I appreciate what I’m generously choosing to interpret as a brotherly concern for her safety, but do not contact me regarding this again. She’s got it handled. Oh, and you can bet your asses that I will be telling Anne about this, so you can look forward to a proper Cuthbert scolding. Cheers!_

_Love, Gilbert_

Five days later, Anne found Moody and Charlie in the library, sat down across from them demurely and after receiving questioning looks she said, “Finish what you’re doing at your leisure. I can wait.” She said it with a smile, but she wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Charlie said as he packed his books up, knowing that she very well couldn’t yell at them in the library.

Moody followed suit and Anne said, “Good idea.” She led them out of the library. People were familiar with Anne by this point and she smiled kindly as she greeted her acquaintances on the way out, but then they saw the expressions on the faces of the two men following her and no one envied what they had coming to them.

Outside the library, she stared up at the men towering over her, though they appeared as meek as puppies in their current situation.

“I will give you each two words to remedy this situation,” she said calmly.

“Two words?!” Charlie asked.

“No, Charlie, that was incorrect. Moody, what do you have?”

He thought about it for a minute and then he thought of something, “I’m sorry!” he practically shouted.

“Correct. You may continue. Charlie, take notes.”

“I’m sorry. We’re sorry. If we thought you needed help, we should have come directly to you, not tattled the situation to Gilbert.”

“Tell me honestly, have I ever given any indication that Gilbert can’t trust me?”

“No,” they answered quietly.

“Do you trust me with him?”

“Yes,” they answered definitively, because they did.

She had matured, she didn’t really yell at people in anger like she used to, finding that she could be equally if not more effective if she just kept them on the edge of their seat in anticipation of her rage. This method also had the benefit of not making her face all red, so she had become favorable to this form of scolding rather than the yelling she was previously accustomed to.

“Good,” she said with a smile. “You will stay the hell out of our relationship. Do you hear? If this happens again, I assure you I will not be so understanding. I, like Gilbert, am choosing to believe that your actions were done out of brotherly concern though we all know that wasn’t the case, don’t we? And if it makes any difference, I assure you the women you are courting were equally incensed by your actions and offered their own forms of personal punishment on my behalf. I told them I appreciated the offer, but that it was entirely unnecessary… this time.”

“Understood,” Charlie said as Moody stood there looking confused.

“Have a good day, boys,” she said, and she walked away.

\---

In the fall semester, the only thing that kept Anne persevering at times was knowing that she would see Gilbert at Christmas. A fact that Diana diligently reminded her of every time she saw her suffering. Anne was back at Green Gables on December 20th and Gilbert was due to arrive two days later. It was so good to be home, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like the home she had left. She found it hard to cope with the fact that life at Green Gables appeared to continue on as it always had, as if her presence or absence didn’t really affect things at all. The Cuthberts were quick to point out how much they missed her and how they wished she were home, but ensured that they were doing okay without her, not wanting her to worry or distract her from her work.

The two day wait for Gilbert was agonizing. Finally, the 22nd came and Anne flitted about Green Gables jumping at every sound heard across the crisp white expanse of country, but the day passed without Gilbert arriving. The 23rd passed in a similar fashion with Anne, the Cuthberts and the LaCroix family all growing concerned with Gilbert’s absence and uncharacteristic lack of communication. Finally, on Christmas Eve, just before the sun set, she received a telegram.

_Anne,  
Blizzard from Toronto to Quebec. They are trying to clear the tracks, but trains still can’t get through. Just heard one tried and derailed. Couldn’t even get out to send word until just now. I don’t see how I will make it there, but I will keep trying. I promise. So sorry, my love. Merry Christmas. Yours, Gilbert_

They were both devastated, as were their families. Anne was mad at the situation but understood that nothing could be done; at least she was with her family and friends. Gilbert was alone though, still, as he had been throughout the previous four months, and that’s what made her cry. She knew how much he missed Bash and Delphine, and everyone else and she knew he missed the orchard as well and wanted to visit his dad and Mary. Thinking of how solitary he must feel at a time of year that was all about family is what pained her the most, beyond her missing him.

Gilbert did try to visit, relentlessly, and he convinced himself that even a couple of hours would be worth it, but it wasn’t possible. His love for Anne wasn’t enough to change the weather, clear the tracks, prolong the vacation days his school schedule granted him or delay the start of his much-anticipated assistantship with Dr. Oak.

Anne conveyed best she could in her letters that she wasn’t upset with him, but he felt guilty regardless and his incessant remorse was evident in every letter through the end of the following term. He wanted to send her flowers every month as a means to brighten her days, but for so many reasons this wasn’t possible.

Cole had joked in a letter to Gilbert that he was in danger of becoming devoid of feeling and imagination with all his technical classes. This certainly would not do if he planned to marry Anne, even though she had enough imagination for the both of them. Cole urged him to do try something that would appeal to his more creative side. He suggested painting or drawing, just as an exercise to give his mind a break. Gilbert had brushed it off at first, but when he finally came to terms with the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Anne at Christmas, burying himself in his studies was no longer enough to distract his mind from her. He walked to the store at the corner and bought a simple watercolor set and some paper. Silently cursing himself for spending the money on it but then justifying it when he remembered how much he had saved by not being able to buy a train ticket.

He found that Cole was right. Gilbert was no great artist by any means, but painting was therapeutic and the mental break made the time he spent studying and researching even more effective.

He decided that if he couldn’t send Anne flowers, he would paint her some. The Oaks also had a copy of the Language of Flowers so he used that to guide him. Through the remaining months of their separation, he created various bouquets and sent them to Anne with his letters.

In January she received purple hyacinth and willow- conveying his sorrow at having missed their reunion mixed in among some pink camellia indicating he was longing for her and forget-me-nots, which were self-explanatory.

In February she received tarragon, yarrow, violets and heliotrope after admitting that she foolishly let herself doubt his interest in her when she was having a particularly bad day in January. She admitted she knew how ridiculous it was that she doubted their relationship for even a second, but regardless, she was comforted when she discovered he sent flowers meaning lasting interest, everlasting love, faithfulness, and devotion.

In March she received a painting of clematis, hollyhock and wallflowers in response to some trouble she was having with a professor in February. She looked them up and found they meant mental beauty, ambition and strength in adversity. The issue had resolved itself by the time she received his letter, but the thought was greatly appreciated all the same. She also received an extra letter for her birthday containing a painting of red chrysanthemums, red roses and honeysuckle which pretty much translated to: I love you, I love you and I love you.

She opened up her letter in April to find red and blue salvia indicating that she was forever his and that he was thinking of her, surrounded by red carnations indicating that his heart was aching for her. Which in turn made her ache for him even more. There was only one more month until they would see each other again and while they found that fact comforting, the separation remained painful as ever.

In May she received an incredibly awkward bouquet of borage, coral roses, coriander, red tulips and sweet pea. Whereas the bouquets he sent were usually fairly simple, this piece of paper was absolutely covered and completely wild looking. She actually laughed out loud when she saw it. She shared it with all the girls as they sat studying together in Anne and Diana’s room and everyone agreed it was delightfully awkward. He was becoming a decent painter, but she would never leave him in charge of arranging flowers in their home, that was for certain. She retrieved her book and looked up the meanings. Bluntness, desire, lust, passion and pleasure. She could feel her face turn scarlet and she had to lie back on her bed and face away from the group for a couple minutes to compose herself. Their letters to each other had become increasingly not suitable for anyone’s eyes but their own, but she found that seeing those same feelings and yearnings depicted with flowers was especially effective in increasing her body’s longing for him. She put her face on her cool pillow and took a deep breath. _If that’s what he means, maybe I will allow him to arrange the flowers after all,_ she thought.

Anne sent him an extra letter in May which arrived the day he left.

_My love,_

_You rascal! Blunt indeed. I’ll admit I initially laughed at the awkward bouquet you sent me, vowing to never let you arrange flowers in our home, but after looking up their meaning I’m sure my face turned a horrid shade of pink and I started breathing so erratically that had the girls noticed I surely would have been rushed over to see Doctor Ward. What a conversation that would have been! And you know Winnie wouldn’t have helped, she would have taken one look at me and just sat there laughing at the situation understanding perfectly well what the true nature of my affliction was, watching as I try to explain to your mentor that no, I’m not ill, it was just your apprentice, supposedly such a gentleman, getting me all hot and bothered from across the country. What is that Dr. Ward? You said my heart rate seems dangerously high? Yes, I’m WELL AWARE. Thank you._

_I still don’t think you understand the hold you have over me, Gilbert. It is absolutely ridiculous, and if I’m being honest, more than a little embarrassing at times. I shudder to think what you’ll be capable of when I’m in your arms again._

_Anyway, I hope this arrives before you leave. You should get it with about a week to spare, but you never know what’s going to happen. I’m so close to having everything completed, but all I can think about is you. Your last letter did nothing to aid my concentration and only left me yearning more than ever for your voice and touch. It’s been so long I’m having trouble even remembering what it feels like to have your hands on my waist or in my hair. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, being apart from you, but it still hurts as much as it ever has. I know you understand, but while misery loves company, that doesn’t make it feel any better._

_I wonder if I’ll even remember how to kiss. Winnie offered herself as practice if I were interested, but I assure you I declined. I find the idea of kissing anyone other than you absolutely repulsive, even if it’s such a beauty as Miss Rose._

_I regret to inform you and to admit in writing that in my current state of longing and desire I could easily see myself as a housewife, but only if that meant I could spend every moment with you, preferably behind a locked door. This obviously means that you wouldn’t get to be a doctor either. You, me and a bedroom. I’m fairly certain that’s all we’d need. I’ve stolen food before; I think I could do it again to provide for us. As for clothes, you won’t need any. And I’ll only need a disguise to aid me in my food stealing enterprise. Consider it, my love, I’m only half joking._

_I can’t believe I get to see you so soon. I know it’s so close, but somehow it still feels out of reach. And then only a week until the wedding and then I will never again be parted from you. Isn’t that the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard? It had better be._

_Yours forever, body and soul (my mind is my own),  
Anne_

Gilbert laughed as he read it on the train. He had lied to Anne. Or, not so much lied as allowed her to believe something that wasn’t true. She mentioned there was a small ceremony to present the graduates with their teaching certificates and announce the scholarship recipients. His scheduled day to return to Charlottetown was a week after Anne finished at Queens, but he wasn’t going to miss that ceremony for the world and frankly, he was a little upset that Anne thought it was okay for him to not be there. He had gotten all necessary information from Diana who helped keep Anne in the dark regarding his plans. He arranged to turn in his assignments early and moved a couple tests earlier as well. His professors liked him and he was by far their best student so they were happy to accommodate him. With everything figured out, Gilbert was going home a week earlier than expected.

He was running late for the ceremony, and he would be the first to admit that he barely looked presentable. His intentions had been good, but it was hot, he had spent the night on the train and an ill-timed jostle of the car left some of Gilbert’s lunch on his jacket so he had to pack it away. He had grown throughout the year and was wearing a new pair of pants that miraculously stayed well pressed throughout the journey, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up (to deal with the heat) and suspenders (as always). He would have worn his hat as well, but he really was trying to look somewhat decent and the hat was nearing the end of its life. He was surprised at how nervous he was to see her again, the anticipation making his heart beat faster than he thought was probably healthy.

He made his way quickly across town and to the college auditorium and found Diana waiting for him outside. He jogged up to her, hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.

“Gilbert Blythe, Anne is not the only one to have missed you,” she said holding onto him tightly. “Life is not the same without you around.”

“I missed you too Diana. And thank you again for helping me with this. You remain, as ever, a alarmingly vital part of our relationship.”

He released her and she stared up at him and said, “You grew!”

He laughed and looked back down at her. “You didn’t,” he teased and received a smack on the arm, “But you’re spunky as ever and more beautiful every day.”

“And there’s the infamous charm. On like a switch,” she laughed.

“You insult me Diana, this charm is on all the time.”

Something caught his eye just past Diana. A man and a child walking around the corner of the building toward them, the man smiling proudly down at his daughter, who was waddle running in front of him.

“Bash!” Gilbert shouted, running toward him. They embraced as brothers do and Diana leaned down to prevent Delphine from running off.

“You made it!” Bash exclaimed.

“Of course, I did,” he said as he stepped back from him.

Sebastian examined him and said, “Momma and Marilla are going to yell at you for not eating enough.”

“I’m eating plenty, I just… stretched out a bit. I promise the Oaks made sure I was eating. More than I should have probably.” He turned to Delphine and crouched down to greet her.

“My sweet, sweet princess,” he said softly, “I have missed you so much. Do you even remember me?” He reached out his hand to her and she hit it playfully and gave him a big smile. She walked closer to him and bopped him gently on the nose with the palm of her hand.

“Gilbur,” she said and his heart melted at the sound of her tiny voice.

“That’s right, princess, that’s me, I’m your Uncle Gilbert. Did your daddy share my letters for you like I asked?”

She nodded in response and said “Uncah Gilbur is a moke.”

They all laughed and Gilbert said, “Yes, sweet girl, yes I am,” and kissed her forehead. “How long have you been working with her on that, Bash?”

“That girl’s a genius, she picked it up all on her own,” he explained.

\---

Gilbert stood in back and watched the love of his life receive her teaching certificate. He noticed that she had grown a bit too and was, well, more womanly than he had last seen her. Or maybe it had just been too long and he had forgotten. Although he really thought he would have remembered that. Regardless, Anne was stunning in her blue velvet dress and the confidence with which she carried herself could not be matched.

Anne’s pushy friend Roy received the two-year scholarship and as expected, hoped for, prayed for and worked for, Anne received a full four-year scholarship to the University of Toronto along with a standing ovation for her hard work and success. Gilbert assumed it was coming, but he was unaware that she would be the first woman to ever receive the scholarship and seeing it happen brought tears to his eyes. He had never felt such pride. She graciously accepted the award to the raucous applause of her classmates and members of the audience. Afterward, Gilbert stayed in the back as it seemed everyone wanted to speak with Anne.

Cecilia stayed near Anne for a while, beaming as brightly as any parent would. Except for the Cuthberts who were absolutely beside themselves with delight. Gilbert didn’t remember ever seeing Matthew so buoyant and Marilla looked downright giddy. After hugging Anne, Matthew took Delphine out through the side door so she could run around while Bash took his turn with Anne. Marilla followed Matthew with Rachel as soon as Rachel offered her congratulations to Anne as well. Miss Stacy was here, beaming with pride as was Mr. Miller. Gilbert was momentarily surprised to see him there, but then remembered Anne had mentioned she visited every month or so to catch up with each other’s lives and help him with any housework that was needed. Gilbert watched as she hugged Diana, Aunt Jo, Cole, Jerry, Winifred, Prissy, two girls who he could only assume were Priscilla and Phillipa, all the Avonlea girls, Charlie and Moody, and many who he assumed were classmates. Anne was surrounded by love and affection, and Gilbert was growing restless waiting his turn.

Everyone Anne knew had handed her a flower, a beautiful idea that Cole mentioned he would be arranging. Anne’s arm was overflowing with a wide variety of flowers supposedly each chosen with care by the giver. He was a bit annoyed that Roy had the nerve to hand her a red rose, but nothing could be done about it now.

When she had made her way through the group and was just milling around chatting, Gilbert began staring intently at her wondering if she really could feel him looking at her like she claimed when they were in school together. He stared for about 2 minutes and then saw her look up suddenly from her bouquet and start looking around the room, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her gaze drifted past him the first time, but her head snapped back to him once her brain made the connection.

He was casually leaning back against the wall, with his arms crossed, smirking at her. He looked down briefly as he laughed and then looked up at her through his curls, almost bashfully. Her jaw dropped and her flowers fell to the floor when her hands flew to her mouth in astonishment. He laughed softly and beckoned her to him with his finger. She came running at him in a dead sprint drawing everyone’s attention as Diana began picking up the flowers. Anne couldn’t have cared less that all eyes were on her. She flew into his arms and he caught her easily.

“How are you here?” she whispered into his ear.

“Does it really matter?”

“No,” she shook her head, crying. “I missed you so much, I just can’t believe this is real. Do not think for even a second of letting go of me do you understand? Just stand here and hold me.”

“As you wish, Carrots.”

She sobbed at his simple words; the smooth timbre of his voice even more soothing than she remembered it. She was completely enveloped in his grasp and it was the first time since their parting that she could feel herself relax, the weight and stress of the year falling off of her as she prepared to begin the next chapter of her life with Gilbert.

“I’m so proud of you. You are absolutely amazing. And to think you did it all without me here to compete against. Makes me wonder if our competition was all just for show or if it wasn’t **you** trying to get **my** attention all that time.”

She laughed and pulled back from him, wiping away her tears. “Sorry I know what I said, but I need to see you. Oh my god, how are you even more perfect that my memory made you out to be?”

“You’re one to talk. And I haven’t changed all that much, it’s just been a long time since you’ve seen me.”

“Winnie!” she yelled and Winifred sped over to her side.

“Good day, Mr. Blythe,” she said mischievously. “Come to take your bride?”

“Yes,” he answered humorlessly, staring at Anne with what could only be described as pure desire.

Anne ignored them. “Has Gilbert gotten better looking over the year, or am I imagining it? Tell the truth.”

“Oh, absolutely he has. Love the hair, you look positively rugged. A man with that hair could get a girl in all sorts of trouble, lord only knows what this one will do to you, Anne. And that chin! My word, you’re all man now, aren’t you, not a trace of boy left.” She looked him up and down and said, “And you’ve grown. Enough to warrant an expenditure on new trousers. Hmm, willing to buy new pants but not willing to pay for a haircut… you enjoy this rogue-ish look, don’t you Gilbert Blythe?”

“Not as much as you apparently,” he shot back at her.

“Oh no no no, don’t give me that. You’ve grown your hair out for a reason. Dare I assume to give Anne here something to hold onto?”

“Assume whatever you’d like. Do you like it, Anne?”

“I love it,” she said, running her fingers through his hair and giving it a gentle tug. “Thank you, Winnie, that’ll be all.”

“Are you dismissing me from the conversation?” she asked, feigning offense.

“Yes,” Anne said and Winifred laughed and walked away.

He stared at her and he knew she could read his mind as clearly as he could read hers. He knew he shouldn’t kiss her. It would be completely inappropriate to do so. They had kissed in front of a couple people, but this was a large group: her friends, family, classmates and professors were there, and who knows who else-

“Fuck it,” he said, and he cradled her head in his hand and kissed her. The intention was a simple, loving kiss, really it was, but that’s not at all what happened. As soon as their lips connected, they instantly forgot where they were and all rules of decorum.

It was a kiss of congratulations, pride, longing, respect and apology. It was a promise to never let them be parted again. But what was most apparent was that it was a kiss of utter and complete lust. Winifred and Cole were quick to notice the not so innocent kiss and started cheering for them and they were soon joined by others, which only made Gilbert make a bigger show of the spectacle, turning them and pressing her up against the wall he had previously been leaning against.

Across the room, Charlie was talking with Roy, who had until now not quite accepted Anne’s refusal of him.

“So, I take it that’s Gilbert?” he spat in disgust.

“Yeah, he’s a great guy, as I’m sure Anne mentioned to you more than once. Aren’t you feeling rather stupid now? You should have listened to her. And me and Moody for that matter. If you want her in your life at all, accept her friendship because that is all that she has to offer you.”

“Clearly,” he said, sadly.

“Now get over it. You’re just one in a long line of guys who will never get a chance with Anne. Welcome to the club,” he said and he walked away.

When Anne and Gilbert finally broke apart from each other, Winifred and Cole again made a big production out of it, applauding them as if it had been some grand performance, so they continued performing. Gilbert spun her away from him as if they were dancing and held onto her hand as she curtseyed, appearing to be the very definition of elegance and grace. That is, if you could get past the fact that her hair was falling out of its pins and her hat was barely hanging on. He laughed as he bowed slightly. He thought briefly about greeting his friends but figured they would understand. “This show is now closed to the public,” he said with a wink, and then pulled a laughing Anne behind him out the door.

She pinned her hat back into place as they walked out into the warm spring day.

“Where are we going?” she asked, leaning into him as he put his arm on her shoulder and they began walking.

“Well, the proper thing to do would be to go greet the Cuthberts,” he said reluctantly. “After all, they are enthusiastically allowing me to marry their daughter in two weeks and for that I owe them a debt I will never be able to repay.”

She smiled mischievously and asked, “And what would be the improper thing to do?”

“Remind you that I’ve been yours since we met, that God heard my vows the night I asked you to marry me and that a piece of paper isn’t really going to change anything.”

“To what end, Gil?” she laughed.

“So that you know that I have only the best intentions when I nonchalantly mention that I rented a room two blocks from here.”

He wasn’t sure how she moved so quickly, but suddenly her arms were wrapped around his neck and she was kissing him so thoroughly that he was surprised he was able to remain standing.

When she stopped, he had trouble speaking. “So,” he began and cleared his throat, hoping his voice would drop back to its proper octave, “So, is that something you might find yourself agreeable to?”

She kissed him again, much more tenderly and whispered, “I love you, Gilbert Blythe. I’m yours, and I want nothing more than to prove to you exactly how much I mean that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've mentioned to a few of you that I will never give a hard and fast "The End" on my stories, but that being said, I don't force myself to write and I wait until inspiration strikes and I have something worth saying. Right now, I don't see this saga continuing, but that doesn't mean that it won't. If I think of something, it will return, but don't hold your breath because it might not.
> 
> For those of you who liked my story 'Something Just Like This," I am well underway with a sequel to that and will post an announcement in that story when the it is available. I think it's going to be called 'Maybe Someday,' because that's a line that keeps popping up as I'm writing it, so keep your eyes open for it if you're interested!


End file.
